Now or Never
by litgurljane
Summary: A new Dark threat emerges to envelop the Wizarding World while Teddy must also bear the additional burden of impending fatherhood. Lily, mother of Teddy's unborn child, finds herself caught up in a power struggle going back centuries. Epilogue compliant.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Author's Note: This is a oneshot that just popped into my head and ended becoming a lot longer than I originally intended, i.e. multiple chapters... oh well, enjoy! The whole thing is written, so I'll get the other chapters up soon!**

* * *

Present Day...

_I am so screwed._

Teddy Lupin groaned, his head crashing into his hands. At twenty-six, he knew he should have the maturity to handle such a situation. At twenty-six, he was simply a kid in a grown man's body. At twenty-six, Teddy felt his life was over.

"What am I supposed to do?" he mumbled. "I can't... I just can't!"

He flopped back on the bed. Twenty-four hours ago, his worst problem was the Ministry paperwork piling on his desk. Harry's disapproving stare as he passed by the young Auror's office seemed like a lifetime ago.

Teddy groaned again at the thought of his godfather. Harry was going to kill him.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Teddy cried.

"How about talking to me?"

Teddy propped himself up on his elbows to get a better view of the figure standing at his bedroom door. Her red hair cascaded past her thin shoulders and her bright brown eyes betrayed an intelligence far beyond her years. Teddy was sure he his heart stopped beating at the sight of Lily Potter.

"This involves me too, Teddy," Lily said as she swept to the foot of the bed. She stood over the young man, surveying him. "You must be worried; you're brunette."

Teddy's face scrunched in a moment of confusion, then his brown eyes flicked up to the tips of his bangs. His hair was indeed natural brown, his natural hair color, the same color as his father's. Normally, Teddy would have indulged Lily and offered her a variety of hair color options before settling on turquoise, a little game they had played since she was a baby.

_She's a baby no more,_ Teddy thought. He sighed, leaving his hair to do as it wished, and flopped back on the bed again. "What are we going to do, Lily?"

"Well, James will be godfather, and Mum and Rose can throw the babyshower. I know Grandmum Weasley will want to be involved, but at her age it's best if she takes it easy. And Dad and Albus and Uncle Ron can help paint the nursery and..." Lily stopped and smirked at the incredulous look on Teddy's face. She whacked him on the leg. "I'm kidding! I need to lighten the mood. You're freaking out on me and that terrifies me."

Guilt slammed into Teddy like a crashing ocean wave. Here he was, worried about how impending fatherhood would screw up his life when Lily was the one carrying their child. He had no idea how she was feeling about the situation, but one look into her eyes revealed all. Teddy knew Lily well enough to note the flicker of fear in her dark orbs. He had to keep collected, for Lily's sake.

"Oh, Lily," Teddy breathed, sitting up and pulling her into his lap. He stroked her hair as she settled into his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I don't know what to think about all this."

"I know. I'm scared too," Lily whispered. "I mean, I'm still in school Teddy! Yeah, I'll have graduated by the time the baby's born, but with all the crap that goes down in the halls of Hogwarts, not to mention the dangerous creatures, potions, and spells we study... that's no place for a pregnant teenager. And with everything that's been going on the past few years..."

Teddy hugged Lily tighter and sighed. "Don't worry about them, they won't bother us."

"You're an Auror, Teddy, they always bother you. It's what Dark Wizards do."

"You think my career will endanger our child? Have you_ met_ your father?"

Lily laughed. Teddy grinned at the sound, silky and light. Then Lily sobered. "That's not what I meant. I'm not worried about our baby being a target. I'm worried about our child growing up without it's father. You and Dad have nearly been killed so many times just doing your jobs. What if one day the enemy succeeds?"

At this, Teddy twisted Lily around so she could look at him. He took her face in his hands. "Lily, I want you listen to me. That will _never_ happen. I won't let our child..." Teddy paused, choking back a sob. "I won't let history repeat itself. I won't let our child end up like me."

Tears prickled in Lily's eyes as she flung herself on top of Teddy. "I love you, Teddy. If it was going to be anyone, I'm glad it was you."

Teddy gently kissed the woman in his arms. He sighed. "It's just hard sometimes. I mean, I love Harry, don't get me wrong. But he's..."

"Not your dad," Lily finished. She pulled away slightly for a better vantage point. "He doesn't want to be your dad. He respects your father too much for you to ever call him anything but 'Harry.' He may love you as a son, he may have raised you, but he would never do anything to dishonor your father's memory."

Teddy chuckled. "He told me the same growing up. That's one of the things I've always admired about him. He's fiercely loyal to people he cares about."

They sat in silence for a moment, Teddy unsure of where the conversation was headed, Lily perfectly at ease with her current position and not in any hurry to move. Eventually Teddy glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Six- thirty.

"Come on, we'd better go." He grasped Lily by the arms and lifted her off his lap.

Lily sniffled. "I don't know if I can do this."

"It's now or never. I just hope your dad is merciful."

Lily's face remained a pained mask as she slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom for a quick once over of her appearance. While Teddy waited, he couldn't help but think back on how this all started...

* * *

Summer before Lily's fifth year...

"Teddy!"

Teddy shifted in his sleep, burying his face deeper into the pillow. If he ignored her maybe she'd go away.

"Teddy Remus Lupin!"

_Damn._Teddy rolled over and blinked at the sunlight streaming in from the bedroom window. Victoire must have opened it when she got up.

They were like night and day, Teddy and Victoire. She loved bright colors and the pale glow of an early morning sun on her creamy skin; Teddy preferred starlight and the cover of darkness, a time when he didn't have to see people staring at him with eyes of false sympathy or watch them whisper amongst themselves about "the poor orphan."

"Are chu getting up? Chu vill be late for vork!" Victoire's thick accent floated from the other side of their apartment. Though fluent in both English and French, she'd adopted part of her mother's accent and tried desperately to rid herself of it in public. In private, however, Victoire just let the words flow.

Teddy really hated that. He never understood the point of trying to make others like you if you weren't being you. He scratched his turquoise covered head, a perfect example of his point. He changed appearances constantly, namely his hair color, and could frankly care less if the more conservative crowd disapproved. He'd only recently got Victoire to stop harassing him about looking "normal" when they went out.

He dressed quickly and sauntered to the kitchen. It smelled delicious, but foreign. The aroma was recognizable and tantalizing. If he could just put his finger on it...

Teddy stopped dead in his tracks. Victoire had made pancakes. She only made pancakes when she wanted to "talk."

Victoire caught sight of her boyfriend and smiled, wisps of blond curls peeking out from a lazy ponytail. As a Healer, putting up one's hair was mandatory. She beckoned Teddy to the table, where he reluctantly took a seat.

When Teddy didn't grab for the platter of pancakes, Victoire's smile faded. "Are chu not 'ungry?"

"Starving, but I'd rather get this over with first. What's the problem this time, Victoire?"

The young woman rolled her eyes and stuffed more books in her bookbag. She had recently passed her examinations but had decided to continue with her studies and take up a specialization. She just hadn't chosen one yet, and so Victoire found herself hitting the books again, taking any class that sounded remotely interesting until she found what suited her.

"De chillren are back from 'ogwarts," she said casually.

"Yes, I know, I was at the train station with Harry and Ginny yesterday." Teddy looked at Victoire, wondering where this was all going.

"De are hafing a party for James tonight, for his graduacion." Victoire zipped her bag and looked hard at Teddy. "Are chu going?"

Teddy raised an eyebrow. "Of course I'm going. James is like a brother to me. Hell, he _is_ my brother."

Victoire cocked her head. "And chu think of Albus and Lily as chur brother and sister, too, oui?"

"Absolutely," Teddy said quickly. Too quickly, he realized. Victoire's eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything. She glanced at her watch, grabbed her bag, and Flooed to St. Mungo's.

_So much for a goodbye kiss._Teddy leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, which had turned bright red as soon as Victoire left. She was suspicious, that much was clear. Part of Teddy wanted to vehemently deny it, accuse her of imagining things, but he knew it was a lie. Victoire had been at King's Cross yesterday too, waiting to welcome home her cousins and younger siblings. She would have seen him embrace James as a brother, seen him ruffle Albus' already untidy hair, seen him kiss Lily's temple and smother her in a hug, and seen him never let go of the youngest Potter.

Teddy mentally smacked himself. He thought he was playing it cool. He and Lily had always been close; she often referred to him as her favorite brother. The whole Weasley clan knew Teddy had been wrapped around the redhead's finger from the day she was born. He could only hope his actions yesterday had appeared no different than usual.

But if Victoire saw something, there was always the possibility that someone else noticed as well.

Victoire and Teddy got home from work around the same time. She still wasn't talking to him. Teddy let her have her space as they changed for the party. He'd never been on the wrong end of one of her hexes before and he wasn't looking to be in that position anytime soon, so he kept his mouth shut and let her do as she pleased.

They Apparated separately to the Burrow. Dominique automatically spied her sister and pulled Victoire into the throng, leaving Teddy alone on the stoop. He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other instead of turning around and fleeing to the garden.

"You look thrilled to be here," Albus said. He handed Teddy a cup of punch. "Don't worry, Fred spiked it with Firewhiskey. Just don't tell Mum or Grandmum Weasley."

Teddy laughed for the first time that day and graciously accepted the proffered drink. He glanced around the living room. Not only was the entire extended Weasley family packed into the house, but several of James' classmates had been invited too, as well as the rather large number of friends of the family, including the Longbottoms, the Scamanders, and, Teddy was surprised to see, the Malfoys.

Albus followed Teddy's gaze. "Oh, you can thank Rose for that. She finally convinced Uncle Ron to be within thirty meters of Draco Malfoy."

"At least he's behaving himself. Ron, I mean," Teddy said, acknowledging Albus' curious face.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure Aunt Hermione threatened to curse him if he wasn't at least civil to the Malfoys. The only reason he's nice to Scorpious is because Aunt Hermione actually did hex him when Rose brought Scorpious home over Christmas break third year," Albus laughed.

Teddy watched Scorpious and Draco talking. His eyes grew wide when the two embraced. "I thought Draco disowned Scorpious when he was sorted into Gryffindor."

"Wait, you don't know?" Albus looked at Teddy oddly.

Teddy shrugged. "Know what? Last I heard, your dad took him in because he had no place else to go."

"Seriously, you don't know? They're your family and you don't know?"

"Just because we share biology does not make them my family," Teddy snapped. He saw Albus recoil and he softened. "Sorry, Al, but it's true. You guys are more my family than they ever will be."

Albus nodded in understanding. "Anyway, your grandmother is the reason Scorpious is living with his parents again. Andromeda wouldn't let Draco alone until they reconciled. She probably would have gone through Narcissa, but since Lucius' death she's not the same, so Andromeda took it upon herself to put the family back together."

"Didn't know the Malfoys were Humpty-Dumpty," Teddy chuckled.

A head of bushy red hair obscured his view of the Malfoys. Rose Weasley shoved a finger into Teddy's chest, pushing him backwards several inches.

"Rose! What the hell?" Albus demanded.

"Alright, Lupin, what did you do?" Rose's eyes flashed dangerously and Teddy voluntarily moved back another couple of inches.

"What are you talking about?" Teddy asked shakily. Did she suspect? He thought she was on the other side of the platform. She couldn't have seen. Could she? Even if she did, she knew how close he and Lily were. She'd never question their relationship, right?

"What is up with you and Victoire? She's in the kitchen crying!"

If Teddy hadn't felt like he was staring down the barrel of a gun (which he'd done the other day, actually. Whoever decided to let Wizards into Muggle gun shops seriously needed to be knocked upside the head), he would have laughed at his own ridiculousness. Instead, he gulped his worry and glanced towards the kitchen. "She is?"

"Yes! She's been in there ever since you two arrived!" Rose's face was red, her chest heaving with every breath. "She's not saying anything, just a bunch of incoherent nonsense. But whatever it is, it's your fault. She keeps muttering some rather nasty adjectives for you."

"Thought you said it was incoherent nonsense?" Albus smirked.

"Shut up you!" Rose snarled. Now Albus was retreating into the wall. Teddy had to stifle a laugh. Rose turned back on her original prey. "This better be some petty argument over window curtains or so help me I will not let you rest in peace!"

With that, Rose spun on her heel and stalked back into the kitchen.

"Damn, your cousin is scary. I would have expected Dominique or Louis or even Bill to blow up at me, but never Rose."

Albus shrugged. "We're a tight family. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

Teddy didn't know he could feel worse than he already dead, but as the words fell out of the seventeen-year-old's mouth, Teddy realized just how screwed he was if he didn't get hold of himself and fast.

Excusing himself from Albus, Teddy dashed outside to the garden and threw himself onto the ground. If he wasn't careful, this could all spiral out of control and he'd have the whole damn family to contend with.

"Teddy?" a timid voice asked.

Teddy jumped up so fast Lily wasn't sure he'd been sitting at all. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"What? Yeah, yeah, just needed some fresh air," Teddy rambled. He bit his lip, the only fool-proof way to get himself to stop talking. The petite fifteen-year-old before him crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Teddy knew that posture, it was one Ginny used on all the kids when she caught them in a lie. Apparently Lily had not only copied the look, she'd perfected it. Teddy felt his walls crumbling down faster than he even knew possible.

"Ok," he relented. "I actually came to get away from your cousin."

"Rose or Victoire?"

Teddy gaped. How did Lily know Rose threatened him?

As though reading his mind Lily said, "I spoke to Al. He said Rose was scary as hell and you fled out here. She's been known to have that effect on people."

Lily crossed the distance between them and dragged Teddy to the ground so they were sitting across from one another in the grass. "Spill," she ordered.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Teddy, please, I know you better than anyone here, better even than Dad or Victoire. Something's bothering you, something other than Victoire's hissy fit in the kitchen or an uber-scary Rose." Lily took one of his hands in her's; Teddy nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact. "Now spill," Lily repeated.

Teddy stared at the fifth year. He couldn't, he shouldn't. He had to. "Victoire saw us yesterday. She knows."

"Knows what?"

Teddy shook his head, forcibly removing his hand from Lily's grasp. "I can't, I'm sorry. You're underage and I can't. I can't."

Recognition flashed across Lily's fine features. "Oh, Teddy," she breathed. "Is that what's come between you and Victoire? She thinks you're cheating on her with me?" Lily started laughing, almost howling. Teddy stared at her. "That is the funniest thing I have ever heard! What does she take us for? Do I need to sign a written statement confirming that you've never touched me? Merlin, Victoire is such a drama queen!"

While Lily continued to laugh, Teddy began to stew. Mabye he was incorrect in his analysis of his feelings. He'd seen Lily last Christmas and Easter breaks and nothing had changed. But when she stepped off the Hogwarts Express yesterday everything changed. She was no longer the little girl in pigtails he'd given piggy-back rides to, or the infant who would only let Harry, Ginny, or Teddy hold her. She was nearly grown up- no, she was grown up. When had that happened?

"Stop laughing Lily. It's not too far from the truth," Teddy admitted, eyes downcast.

Lily quieted abruptly. She reached out towards Teddy, thought better of it, and clasped her hands in her lap. "I know," she whispered.

Teddy's head snapped up. "What?"

"Teddy, I've loved you from the day I was born. I just thought I loved you like I love James and Albus. You were always around, you always took care of me like a big brother, so I figured it was natural that I love you." Lily wouldn't meet Teddy's gaze. She stared at her hands as she fiddled with the rings on her fingers. "When you and Victoire got together, I wasn't jealous. I was actually pretty excited. If you two got married, you'd really be family. But you've always been family. I realize now that I only wanted you guys dating so you'd have to stick around. I was afraid that since you'd graduated and become an Auror, you'd leave us."

"Lily, I will never leave you. You're all the family I have, and I love you guys," Teddy said. He sighed. "I think you're right, though. I was using Victoire as an excuse to stay nearby. I just didn't realize, or wasn't willing to realize, that I wanted to stay close to you."

"Where does that leave us?" Lily asked, finally looking up.

Teddy stared into her brown eyes and impulse took over. He sat up on his knees, pulled Lily onto her's, and kissed her.

When they broke the kiss, Teddy said, "We can't tell anyone. You're underage and with your family... I don't know how they'd react. And I don't want people saying crap about us, or about me and Victoire. I owe you both that."

Lily nodded in acquiesence before pulling Teddy down for another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Present Day...

Lily exited the bathroom and held out a hand to Teddy. "Ready?"

He nodded and they Apparated to Grimmauld Place. Ginny had outdone herself with the Christmas decorations this year. Red and green streamers adorned the hall, and Teddy briefly noticed the large evergreen in the corner of the sitting room.

A mass of flaming red hair came between Teddy and Lily. Ginny Potter nearly squashed her youngest child. "Mum! Can't...breathe!" Lily choked.

"Sorry," Ginny smiled. "I haven't seen you since we put you on the train for start of term! My baby is a seventh year!"

Lily's eyes grew wide at the sight of her mother about to break down and lose it. "Mum!" Lily hissed. "Stop it! You're acting like Grandmum!"

That was all Ginny needed. If there was one thing she refused to let happen as she aged, it was becoming her mother. She dried her eyes and swiftly embraced Teddy. "Merry Christmas, Teddy!"

"Merry Christmas, Ginny," Teddy said awkwardly. He glanced at Lily, who shrugged. Ginny wasn't usually this emotional. "Um, is everything alright?" Teddy asked.

Ginny sniffed as she stepped back. "Al won't be joining us for dinner. You know Harry can't play favorites, but I still want the whole family together for the holidays. Especially now."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'especially now'?"

Ginny looked at Teddy quizzically. "You haven't told her? I'd rather Harry did but since you work in the same department I figured Lily would hear it from you first."

Now Lily was very confused. "Ok, what did I miss?"

Teddy cringed inwardly. He was planning on telling Lily a few choice current events regarding the Ministry and the Wizarding community, but when she dropped the baby bombshell he didn't want to add to her stress. He glanced at the seventeen-year-old. "Remember what we talking about earlier? About the Dark Wizards?"

Lily nodded and crossed her arms. Teddy had the distinct impression he was digging himself into a hole and hormones were to blame. He worried Lily would blow up- he was sure she would blow up- and if she did, she might not censor herself about the pregnancy. "Ginny, do you mind if I tell Lily in private? I know Harry's told you everything but I still don't want you to worry."

Ginny nodded. "Thinking about it is hard enough. I don't need another play-by-play. I'll just be in the kitchen."

When they were alone, Teddy dragged Lily upstairs to his old bedroom. Lily pulled her arm from his clutch and slammed the door closed. "What is going on?" she demanded.

Teddy sighed. "Lily, I didn't want you to know... scratch that, you need to know, for your safety. I just rather your dad tell you but I guess he's delegated the task to me." Teddy felt Lily's penetrating gaze as he collapsed on the foot of the bed. "Something's happening. I know you're aware of the uprisings that have been happening the past few years, and the random attacks."

"Yeah, Death Eater copycats. They're not dangerous, just annoying," Lily said.

"They're not copycats and they're not Death Eaters and they are very dangerous. We've been watching them for years and our spies finally have enough to confirm our suspicions. They're Pure Bloods. Not like Death Eater pure bloods, who were just too proud to admit their true biology, but actual pure blooded wizards."

Lily sank onto the bed beside Teddy. "I have no idea what any of that means, except that I'm assuming they're just as maniac about it as the others."

Teddy snorted. "Pure Bloods are worse than Death Eaters, Lily. They've had to inbreed for centuries and they're mentally unstable because of it. What's worse, they're freaking powerful. Most wizards and witches, having some percentage of non-magical DNA, lose some of their magical ability based on the amount of Muggle in them. Does that make sense?"

Lily nodded. "I think so. Victoire was researching that a few years ago, when she was looking for a specialization."

"Yeah, she was. Her findings are what scare the Ministry most. Because Pure Bloods have only Wizarding DNA, their magic has never decreased. In fact, it's multiplied each generation. They have powers we can't even imagine."

"And they want to take over don't they?" Lily asked quietly. "And they'll kill those of us who stand up to them, just like they will Muggleborns and half-bloods?" Teddy nodded, causing Lily to groan with a heavy heart. "Merlin, it's just like in the history books." Lily turned to Teddy. "I know they're going to be a major threat, if they aren't already. But you promised, Teddy, and I'll keep you to it. I trust you and Dad and my brothers and everyone else to keep us safe and ensure that our child grows up in a safe world."

Teddy's shoulders slumped. "Don't say that, Lily."

"Say what?"

"That's what Harry says my dad told him, that he died to make the world a better place for me to grow up. I did promise to be there for our child, but if I have to follow in my father's footsteps, I'll do it." Teddy looked up at his girlfriend, a smile playing on his lips. "Now I get why Dad did it. Nothing's more important than the security of one's child."

Ginny was yelling up the stairs at them. Lily smiled at Teddy, gave him a chaste kiss, and led the way back downstairs.

The kitchen table was set and leaden with food. Teddy grinned. He'd learned long ago to come hungry for a dinner at the Potter's.

Harry and James were already seated. James jumped up when he saw his sister. "Lily!" He pulled her into a tight hug.

"Is everyone in this family determined to squeeze me to death?" Lily joked. She glanced at her father imploringly; Harry smirked. "Payback for all those years you tackled James and Albus when they came home for Christmas, sweetheart," Harry said.

Lily rolled her eyes and allowed James to lead her to a seat. Teddy sat next to her and on Harry's left; James was on his father's right, with Ginny across from Lily.

"It's so odd, not having Albus home," Ginny said as she passed her daughter the gravy.

"Odd?" Harry asked. "I thought you'd like not having James and Albus destroying the house for once."

"Hey!" James yelled in mock offense. "We weren't that bad." Harry gave his son a look. "Okay," James conceded, "we weren't as bad as Fred and Louis."

While the rest of the family loaded their plates will all manner of meats, vegetables, and potatoes, Lily slowly began to turn green as nausea overtook her. Ginny glanced at her daughter, concerned. "Lily, dear, are you feeling okay?"

Teddy knotted his eyebrows in concern, placing a hand on Lily's thigh and rubbing gently. She smiled weakly at him. "I'm alright, Mum. Just not very hungry."

"I told you not to eat a big lunch," Ginny pouted.

Teddy leaned in, whispering right into Lily's ear. "Morning sickness?"

Lily nodded. "Looks like we'll be telling them sooner than I expected," she muttered. "I had hoped we could delay until after dinner, you know, when they're all too stuffed to move quickly and jinx us with no warning?"

"What are you two whispering about?" James hollered across the table. "Teddy, don't monopolize my sister, I want to know how her final year at Hogwarts is going, too. You picked her up from the train station yesterday, we haven't seen her at all yet!"

Lily locked eyes with Teddy. "Now or never, right?"

Teddy nodded, a lump forming in his throat. He glanced at Harry, praying to every deity he could think of that his godfather didn't have his wand on him.

"Now or never what?" Ginny asked.

"Well..." Lily began, "I'd ask you all to sit down but you already are. I had also hoped Al would be here..." Her gaze flitted around the table, looking at each of her relatives in turn. "Um, Teddy and I... well, you remember when Teddy and Victoire broke up?"

They was general agreement around the table. Yes, they did remember. James looked at Teddy. "Are you and Victoire getting back together? I thought she was with that Muggleborn, Tyler Johnson?"

"She is," Teddy said. "Actually, Tyler and I spoke just the other day at work. He's planning on popping the question over the holiday."

"Oh that's brillant!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes, but... well, when we broke up, Victoire actually dumped me because, well..." Teddy shifted uncomfortably. "She dumped me because she realized before I even did that I was in love with someone else, had been, for a while."

James wiggled his eyebrows. "What's her name?"

"Your sister," Teddy said.

James went ashen. "I'm really hoping that was a bad comeback," he said warningly.

"It's not," Lily said quietly. "Teddy and I have been seeing each other for two years now."

"You're in love with my teenage daughter?" Harry asked, directing the question to his godson.

Teddy squirmed under Harry's gaze. He couldn't tell what his godfather was thinking, and that was never a good sign. "Yes, sir. I know this must come as a shock, since we've kept it quiet for so long, but we figured it was best not to go public with our relationship. We had to make sure it was what we wanted first, that it would last, and we didn't want rumors flying, what with Lily being underage." Teddy looked right at Harry, staring directly into his startling green eyes. "I never touched her until she was of age."

Harry was immobile for a moment, then he nodded and Teddy knew he had won that battle.

"So you two have been dating behind our backs?" Ginny sighed. "I should have known, all the signs were there. You kept spending all that time at Teddy's flat, I just figured... I don't know what I figured, but I wasn't thinking this." Ginny looked across the table at the happy couple. "Are you asking for our blessing?"

"Yes. And no."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked.

"I guess, well, let's start with that. Do we have your blessing?" Lily asked.

Now Harry sighed. "You're both of age. We can't stop you from seeing each other, not when you've managed to do it all this time anyway." He looked at his son, who hadn't said anything recently. "James? You're just as overprotective of Lily as your mother and I, probably more so. What do you think?"

Teddy and Lily now looked at James, anxiously awaiting his response. He studied them, no trace of emotion on his pale face. Finally, after several tense moments, he said, "Lily is my little sister, and Teddy is my best mate. If I was to entrust Lily to any man, I'd want it to be someone I know will take care of her, never hurt her. You have my blessing."

Lily mouthed a 'thank you' to her brother and squeezed Teddy's hand under the table. Teddy looked visibly relieved.

"There you have it," Harry said. "If James approved, I do too. Though you would have had my blessing either way. He has a point, though. If anyone is good enough for my little girl, it's you, Teddy."

Teddy was sure he had only momentarily escaped his own death because as soon as they found out about the partiular situation he'd gotten Harry's 'little girl' into, Harry would murder him.

"Well, now that you've finally come clean about that, we can finish dinner." Ginny picked up her fork again and began picking at the food on her plate. "Was that why you have no appetite, Lily? You were nervous about how we would react to you and Teddy?"

"No," Lily said casually. "My lack of appetite is due to the morning sickness."

Ginny's fork clattered to the floor.

* * *

Summer before Lily's seventh year...

Teddy shifted from foot to foot, nervously checking his watch every few seconds. The train should have pulled into the station by now.

Parents and siblings of students milled about the platform also awaiting the arrivals. A group of Weasleys were further down the platform chatting amongst themselves. Though they did not recognize Teddy, he still put more space between them and himself. He'd waited too long to see Lily; he wasn't going to share her with her relatives.

A whistle blew as the train crept to a halt and finally stopped. Floods of school children poured off the train and onto Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Waiting for me?"

Teddy spun around. Lily stood mere feet behind him, her trunk and owl at her feet. "Wow," Teddy said. If it was possible, Lily was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her. "Welcome home." Teddy pulled Lily into a hug and inhaled her scent for the first time in months.

"I thought Mum and Dad were meeting me," Lily said.

"Emergency at the Ministry. You know your dad, he has to be in the thick of things. Ginny has a profile due to the Prophet this afternoon, so she asked me to pick you up."

"And of course you couldn't refuse," Lily giggled.

Teddy laughed and grabbed Lily's trunk. "Now that you're of age and can Apparate, let's put it to the test."

Lily smirked. "Is that a challenge?"

They Apparated to Grimmauld Place, dropping Lily's school things in her room. She sighed as she glanced around. "Home sweet home. I've always felt more comfortable at your flat than here. Is that wrong?"

"No. You're just more relaxed at my place. We don't have to pretend there." Teddy looked at his watch. "I don't expect your parents to be home for a while. And James and Albus are both at work. Do you want to wait here, in case Ginny or Harry shows up soon? Or do you want to go back to my place?"

Lily thought for a moment. "Your place. It'd be really awkward if my parents came home and caught us in bed together."

Teddy was sure his jaw dropped. He hadn't expected to hear Lily talk so flippantly about sleeping with him. "Lily, you just got back from school. You're barely of age and barely a seventh year!"

"My birthday was months ago, Teddy. And you're acting like we've never done it before. Stop trying to make excuses.."

"It's just different in London. I don't expect one of your brothers to walk in on us at the Shrieking Shack, but they come and go freely at my flat."

Lily shrugged. "They're more likely to walk in on us here."

Teddy had to admit Lily had a point. He also had to admit he was aching to hold her again. He grinned mischievously. "If you insist."

They barely made it to Teddy's apartment fully clothed. Jeans and t-shirts landed on the floor in a heap. Teddy pushed Lily onto the bed, trailing kisses from her clavicle down her abdomen and back up. Lily pulled him into a deep kiss before rolling him onto his back. She grinned, clearly eager to take charge. Teddy was more than willingly to let her.

Lily began to tease Teddy by doing the same thing he'd done to her only moments before. "Barely legal my ass," Lily muttered between kisses. "I've had more experience since my birthday than most of the people in my class." She wiggled an eyebrow. "You know you like my experience."

"You must have had a good teacher," Teddy smirked.

While Lily continued down Teddy's bare stomach, Teddy's mind went back to their earlier conversation. They were less likely to get caught at his flat than at the Potters' house but the threat still loomed. Teddy glanced down his torso at Lily's flowing red hair. "Lily, stop. We can't do this."

The young woman's head dropped onto Teddy's stomach. "I know," she whispered. "I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up until later, though."

"Your family is going to find out sooner or later, and I for one would rather than tell them instead of one of your brothers or hell, your father, finding our naked bodies entwined. I already fear for my life, let's not add to it!"

Lily pulled herself up beside Teddy and snuggled into his side. "I can't tell them, Teddy. I know I'm adult now but this is still... I love you but I don't want things to get weird. If we wait a few months maybe we can say we didn't start dating until after my birthday."

"You want to lie to your parents?" Teddy asked incredulously. "You want me to lie to Harry? I can't do that, Lily. Not only is he my boss and would my career be on the line, but he's... I respect him too much for that. He's done so much for me, I can't lie to him about this." Teddy began stroking Lily's arm. "We don't have to tell them until you feel comfortable but we will tell them everything."

* * *

Present day...

"Morning sickness?" Ginny repeated. "You're pregnant?"

Lily nodded. "Two months."

James and Harry looked ready to punch something. Teddy had a bad feeling that 'something' was him.

"You knocked up my sister?" James roared. Teddy flinched. He knew he deserved that. He'd been kicking himself for the past twenty-four hours for not using a condom. Getting Lily pregnant was, partially, his fault.

"James," Ginny warned. James fell silent but continued to frown. Ginny looked back at her daughter. "Well, this is quite a Christmas surprise. So you're due when, July?"

"Yeah, I was checked out by a Healer last week. My due date is July 11."

"At least you'll have graduated by then." Harry looked hard at Lily. "You will finish school, young lady."

Lily nodded. Completing their education had always been expected from the Potter children, seeing as Harry and even Ron and Hermione skipped their seventh year and Ginny had never returned to Hogwarts since the final battle.

"You're okay with this?" Lily asked.

Harry sighed. "I'm not really a fan of my daughter becoming a mother at eighteen, but we'll handle this. For now, I think we all just need to process this information. You rather overloaded us tonight. And we'll have to tell everyone else eventually. And Albus."

Teddy felt relieved. Now that the truth was out, he felt like he could breathe again. Then Kingsley Shacklebolt Flooed into the kitchen.

"Harry!" Kingsley cried.

Everyone in the room stiffened. They were used to Kingsley making house calls, he was a good family friend after all, but the look on his face revealed this visit was not to be a social call.

"Yes, Minister?" Harry asked.

"Albus just contacted me. The Pure Bloods are attacking Muggles in the street. We believe it's a diversion for something bigger. A team is on site and another is keeping watch for additional activity. You, James, and Teddy need to come with me now."

The three named men jumped up from the table and left with the Minister. Lily looked to her mother with a painful expression.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Ginny remarked, her voice quivering. "They'll check it out and be home soon." She began gathering the barely touched meal; Lily noticed Ginny's hands were shaking.

"Mum." Lily circled the table and hugged Ginny, who began to cry.

"Oh, Lily, I'm sorry. I should be comforting you, not the other way around." Ginny wiped her sleeve across her wet face. "But these attacks. They've been keeping them out of the paper, trying not to alarm the public. It reminds me so much of last time..."

Lily bit her lip. Her parents rarely spoke about Voldemort or anything that happened while they were in Hogwarts. She knew that if her mother was scared, truly scared, and relating current events to the past, things must be worse than Teddy had implied.

* * *

Halloween of Lily's seventh year...

While everyone else stuffed themselves with sweets at dinner, Lily took the map (which her father had given to Teddy his first year, who had passed it down to her brothers and finally her) and her father's invisibility cloak and sneaked off campus to meet Teddy at the Shrieking Shack.

Teddy was pacing an upstairs bedroom, his hair alternating from turquoise to green to brunette and repeating the pattern over and over. Lily stood at the door, watching him, waiting for him to notice her presence. When he didn't, she loudly cleared her throat. He spun in her direction and smiled.

"Everything alright?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Why wouldn't everything be alright?"

Lily tossed the map and the cloak to the floor. "Teddy, you can't lie to me. Something's up. Spill."

Teddy chuckled. "Where have I heard that before?" He perched on the edge of the dusty bed. "Things are happening, Lily, bad things. I'm just... this has to be the last time. You can't keep sneaking out. What if you get caught by someone? Someone unfriendly? I can't lose you."

"Teddy," Lily whispered. She pulled him into a standing position and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. "If you're so worried, I promise not to leave school grounds without a chaperone ever again. I'm not my dad. Or my brothers. Or my cousins. Or... well, let's just say, I know better."

Nodding, Teddy twisted Lily so her back was to his chest and they could both see out the broken window. They held each other there, immobile as they watched the sun fade away over the horizon. It was beautful and disturbing, reds and golds tinged with a creeping blackness. Lily shuddered and clung tighter to Teddy. She had a bad feeling about their future.

Teddy pulled out his wand and pointed it at the bed. "Scourigfy." The dust disappeared, leaving behind a clinically pristine bed, complete with clean sheets and pillows. "Imagine what my dad and his friends would think if they knew what we use this place for."

Lily laughed as she allowed Teddy to lead her to the bed and strip off her sweater. Slowly losing herself to the moment, she thought about her promise to Teddy. She had heard the rumors, about the number of attacks increasing. But they were minor attacks, a few bumps and bruises, maybe a quick clean up by the Oblivators. She didn't think she had any reason to worry. Hogwarts was a safe place again, complete with twenty-four hour patrol by the Aurors (of course, Lily was her father's daughter and had picked up a few tricks to slip off grounds unnoticed). And if anyone did attack her, she could handle herself. Harry had pretty much trained his children in Defense from the days they were born.

"Are you still with me?" Teddy asked.

Lily snapped back to the here and now. She smiled and ran a slender hand through her lover's spiky hair. "Just thinking," Lily said.

"Don't think too hard," Teddy teased. "We don't have time for thinking."

Lily grinne mischievously, kicking off her jeans and pulling herself into a sitting position on her knees. "Let's not waste anymore time then."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Present day...

Ginny and Lily waited until the early hours of the morning before the boys returned home, Albus in tow. He grinned when he saw his sister and automatically gave her a big hug. "Teddy told me everything," he whispered. He felt Lily stiffen. "Don't worry, I'm thrilled to be an uncle." Lily hugged Albus tighter.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

Harry removed his glasses and wiped his forehead. "Damn Pure Bloods. By the time we arrived, the department had taken care of the Muggle situation. But Kingsley was right, it was a diversion. The Magical Creatures Department was having their annual Christmas party tonight. You remember that equality law Scamander was trying to pass?" Ginny nodded. "Apparently the Pure Bloods don't agree with his definition of 'people' and rather than waiting for the Ministry to veto the bill, they decided to take out the whole damn department and make sure no similar legislation is ever suggested."

Ginny gasped. Lily's hand flew to her mouth. "Are they...?" Ginny asked, not wanting to finish her question.

Harry shook his head. "Most of them are at St. Mungo's for minor injuries; they'll be released tomorrow morning." He looked right at Ginny, tears in his eyes. "But Scamander's dead, and three others."

Ginny broke down; Harry folded her in his arms and let her sob into his shoulder. Teddy moved to Lily's side and held her close. "Poor Luna," the young girl sobbed. "Poor Lysander and Lorcan."

The family mourned quietly, the grandfather clock in the hallway slowly ticking away. Finally, Harry released Ginny and addressed the gathered party.

"It's been a long day for all of us," Harry said. "I think we could all use some sleep."

James and Albus were already trudging up the stairs to their respective bedrooms. Ginny kissed Harry and retreated to their own room.

"I'll be at the flat." Teddy kissed Lily's forehead. He moved to Floo home but Lily grabbed his wrist. "Don't leave me," she whispered.

Teddy looked from Lily to Harry. Harry's face was slightly impassive, with just a hint of grief. "Lily, I don't know if that's a good idea..." Teddy argued. His heart ached to remain with his love, to comfort her during this hard time. He couldn't bear to see the tears rolling down her face. Teddy also knew it was a longshot for Harry to agree to Lily's wish. While he could aruge in favor of a sleepover, Teddy understood the awkwardness of the situation. He was positive if it was his daughter asking for her boyfriend to spend the night he would immediately squash the idea.

Then Harry surprised him. "Stay, Teddy," Harry said. "You can sleep in Lily's room. It's obvious she needs you tonight. I doubt we can keep you two apart anyway. At least now I know you're together."

Lily and Teddy followed Harry upstairs, then ducked into Lily's room. Lily collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to undress; Teddy sleepily followed suit.

The next morning dawned grey, literally. The irony was not lost on anyone in the Potter household. They gathered for a quick breakfast before Apparating to the Burrow as they always did on Christmas Eve.

For the first time in Teddy's life, the Burrow was quiet. The adults sat around the kitchen table whispering, while the kids, which included Teddy, took refuge in the living room. Normally, Teddy, as well as Victoire and James would invite themselves into the 'adults' conversation. But not today. Today, they too were left out, because for the first time in twenty-six years the adults were reminiscing.

"Mum alluded to Voldemort last night, after you guys left," Lily whispered. She and Teddy claimed one half of the lumpy sofa, Roxanne on the far side with a book and little Lucy squished in the middle.

Teddy squeezed Lily's hand. Ginny never spoke about that period of her life, unless she was referring directly to some childish event that occurred at school. Even then, she was careful to dance around world events. If the attacks had rattled Ginny so that she was talking about her last years at Hogwarts, then maybe things were worse than Teddy thought.

"Don't worry, Lily, everything will be alright." Teddy kissed his girlfriend's forehead, careful not to show too much affection as they had yet to reveal the depths of their relationship to Lily's extended family.

James and Albus, who had conversing quietly in a corner, motioned for Teddy to join them. The eldest Auror slipped from the couch and quickly crossed the room.

The two Potters were using the walls for support. James leaned further into the corner, his arms crossed; Albus attempted to flatten his hair. James rolled his eyes at his little brother. "Give it a rest, Al. You and I both have Dad's hair. Accept it."

"Is this why you beckoned me over? Are we going to gossip about the latest hair care?" Teddy laughed.

Albus elbowed Teddy. "If we were going to talk about hair care we wouldn't have invited you."

"Aw, is Albie jealous?" Teddy smirked as his hair changed to jet black, matching the Potter men right down to the last unruly strand of hair. "Hm..." Teddy pretended to contemplate the new look. "You're right, your hair is crap."

While Teddy's hair reuturned to its usual turquoise, James took a survey of his cousins. Molly had taken Teddy's spot on the couch and was entertaining Lucy with little finger puppets. Roxanne remained buried in her book, though James did notice that her eyes were not moving; whatever she was thinking, she didn't look willing to share. Victoire, Rose, and Dominique were in the opposite corner while Fred, Hugo, and Louis sat silent on the floor. Lily sat on the couch, one hand on her stomach and the other clutching the armrest. She looked sick.

"Do they know?" James asked Teddy and Albus. The other two boys shrugged.

"They might. I don't know if your aunts and uncles would have told the younger ones about the attack, just that Scamander died," Teddy said. "They are being awfully quiet."

"It's the atmosphere," Albus concluded. "We can all sense how tense it is in here."

James struggled for a moment. Teddy recognized the 'I don't know how to put this into words' expression on the twenty-year-old's face. Eventually James said, "Last night... last night things changed. Up until then Dad's attempted to keep all three of us in the dark, as in the dark as working in the Auror Department allows. Now we know just how serious the situation with the Pure Bloods is. We knew that if they started a war they'd be worse than Voldemort. I think the war started last night."

Teddy felt all the breath leave his body, as though he'd been punched in the stomach. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He knew the war was looming, he'd been afraid to reveal as much to Lily considering her condition. He always thought of war as his past and his future, never his present.

No, Teddy _had _thought of it earlier. He was subconsciously willing to admit just how downhill the Wizarding community's efforts had gone. He had betrayed himself when he admitted to Lily he wouldn't think twice about following in his father's footsteps to ensure their child's safety.

"Lily?" Victoire called after her cousin as the seventeen-year-old fled the room.

All the cousins followed Lily with their eyes, obviously concerned. Teddy looked at Albus imploringly. "Please go talk to her. It would look weird if I did."

Albus nodded. "I got her." He moved to leave his brother and friend but paused. "You know, you two will have to come clean to everyone else, and soon. With the way the world is going, we can't afford to keep secrets."

Albus exited after his sister and the cousins returned to their previous activities, satisfied the middle Potter could handle whatever ailed his sister.

Teddy opened his mouth to speak to James when his eyes met Victoire's. She titled her head in Lily's direction. Teddy wanted to shrug, make Victoire think he didn't have any answers. But she knew him too well for him to get off so easily and instead nodded towards the door. Victoire took the hint and went out to the hallway.

"I'll be right back," Teddy said to James.

Victoire waited by the door. Teddy grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the arm and hauled her upstairs. They passed Albus and Lily coming out of the bathroom. Lily stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Victoire and Teddy.

"What's going on?" Lily demanded. She glared at Teddy.

"She deserves to know, Lily. Everyone will find out later today anyway."

Lily was caught between nodding in understanding or slapping Teddy across the face. "She's my cousin, Teddy, my family. I know you two have a history, but this is _our_ business. When we tell anybody, we tell them together, at least until it's public information. For now, I need you by my side for support."

"I know, Lily, but I have to tell Victoire. I just thought since you were sick I'd do it by myself, but if you want us to tell her together then we will."

Albus took his sister's elbow. "Lily, I think you should let Teddy do this himself. Come on, he and Victoire will need some privacy."

Lily frowned and sighed. She knew Albus was right. She brushed pass Victoire with nary a word and headed back to her original position on the sofa. Albus thumped Teddy on the back and followed his sister.

"Vat the hell vas dat about?" Victoire turned on Teddy, hands on her hips. "Vat do chu and Lily need to tell everyone?"

Teddy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. He had truly loved Victoire and he knew how much it hurt both of them when they broke up. He didn't want to cause her further pain.

"I'm vaiting," Victoire said.

"Do you remember when we broke up? You implied there was something going between me and Lily?" Teddy posed the question and anxiously waited for Victoire's response. When Lily had told him she was pregnant, his initial fear was what Harry would do to him. It never occurred to him what Victoire would do. Now that he was standing mere feet from a very powerful witch, Teddy began to think he should have kept Lily by his side. No matter what, Victoire would never harm her beloved cousin.

Victoire'seyes went wide. "Chu and Lily? I assumed, but I never saw chu with her."

"We kept our relationship quiet. We wanted to wait until she was of age, so no one would question."

"So..." Victoire was working it over in her head. "Chu and Lily just got together in March and now chu are telling de family?"

Teddy squirmed. This was way harder than he imagined. "We've been together since you and I broke up. We were actually going to keep it quiet until she graduated, let everyone assume we'd only gotten together in the past year."

Victoire was visibly confused. "Vy didn't chu?"

"Lily's pregnant."

Downstairs in the sitting room. the children were quiet. There was shouting echoing from the kitchen. Hermione was yelling at Ron to sit down. Charlie and Bill were apparently arguing with each other, though their words were difficult to make out over all the other arguing.

Teddy and Victoire re-entered the sitting room. Victoire marched past her ex-boyfriend, smiled sadly at Lily, and reclaimed her seat by her sister. Lily glanced quizzically at Teddy. Apparently Victoire had let her cousin off the hook. Teddy knew it would be a while before he was forgiven.

"Don't you think I know that!" Harry was screaming.

Lily, Albus, and James jumped. They'd never heard their father that angry before.

"I'm the one who defeated Voldemort! I'm the one who died so he could be destroyed! And now we've got some new bastards trying to finish his work and you're yelling at me for letting it get this far?" Harry was raving now. None of the kids in the sitting room moved. Teddy was wondering if the younger children had forgotten to breathe.

"Don't patronize us, Harry! We fought Voldemort and the Death Eaters too! We've got the scars to prove it!" Bill screamed.

Dominique and Louis looked at their older sister fearfully. Victoire looked stunned. Whatever was going on in the kichen was getting out of hand.

"Then don't start in on me!" Harry roared. "Our resources are limited, we can only act on information that's been verified! I can't single-handedly follow up on every lead! Even you have to understand that I'm only human!"

"You could have done something more!" Now Ron was turning on Harry.

"What the hell was I supposed to do? Re-instate the Order? What good did it do us last time? How many of our friends and family did we lose even with help?" Harry screamed.

If they could have seen Ron, Teddy was sure he'd be a very bright red color by now. "Don't even go there, Harry! They understood the risks! But wizards today don't know what they're getting themselves into! None of us do! We could all end up dead tomorrow!"

"Ron," Hermione's voice was gentle but firm. "Shut up. The kids are listening."

The entire house was eerily and uncomfortably silent. Molly Weasley appeared at the door to the sitting room, a fake smile pasted to her face. "Who'd like to help me set the table for dinner?"

A handful of the younger cousins meekly stood and ambled to their grandmother, who steered them into the kitchen. As they entered, their parents left by way of the side door. Ron and Harry wouldn't even look at each other. Ginny rolled her eyes and Hermione muttered something that sounded like, "Honestly!"

Teddy felt a cold hand grip his arm. Lily stood at his side, brown eyes boring into his skull. "Is it as bad as they're saying?"

When Teddy didn't answer, Lily asked again. "Teddy, is it as bad as they're saying?"

He didn't want to worry her. He wanted to shield her from the truth, from the pain, for as long as he possibly good. He knew that was a cowardly move. He had to give Lily more credit than that. "Yes," Teddy whispered.

Lily automatically started crying. "What do we do? We can't bring a child into this world!"

Teddy gripped Lily by her shoulders and bent over so he was at eye level with her. "Yes we can. Your grandparents did, and so did my parents. If we're anything like them, we can do this."

"If we're anything like them our child will never know us," Lily remarked bitterly.

"Lily!" Teddy said, stung. "It's not like that. Look, I know the odds are against us, but there's nothing set in stone that says our fate will be the same as their's. Even if it is, our child will know us. Our child will know of our love, and will be surrounded by people who love it, no matter what happens."

Lily sniffed. "Are you speaking from experience?"

Teddy nodded and wrapped his arms around Lily. "I may not remember my parents, but I know they loved me, and that matters more than anything."

"We can't tell them tonight," Lily sighed. "Not when they're all wound up like this. My immediate family knows, that's enough for now. We'll have to tell Andromeda, though."

Teddy kissed the top of Lily's head. "It'll be a nice Christmas present for her."

* * *

Christmas Day…

Teddy woke with a start. His flat felt cold, empty. He'd spent the night before in Lily's bed and it felt right, her petite body curled up against him, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, one hand laid protectively over her still-flat stomach. It had only been one night, but Teddy knew that for every night from now on he wouldn't sleep well without Lily at his side.

The young man grudgingly removed the heavy sheet and patchwork quilt and padded to his dresser. He shivered as he pulled out jeans and a sweater, lovingly emblazoned with a "T" by Mrs. Weasley.

Once dressed, Teddy Apparated to the Burrow, where he was welcomed by the sound of retching. He peeked through the cracked bathroom door to find Lily sitting on the floor in front of the toilet. Judging by the fact that she was still in her pajamas, she had apparently woken up nauseous.

Lily held her long red hair as she bent over the toilet. After one final gasp, she sagged against the wall, taking deep breaths.

"Can I do anything?" Teddy asked awkwardly. He had no idea how to help with morning sickness.

Lily opened her mouth to speak but shut it with a snap and quickly shook her head instead. She struggled for a moment, failed in the battle against her body, and hurled once more.

"This sucks," she muttered as she wiped her face with a square of toilet paper. She glared up at Teddy. "You owe me."

Teddy laughed and knelt behind his girlfriend, taking her hair in his hands to keep it out of her face as she continued to empty her stomach. "I'll find a way to make it up to you," Teddy promised.

"Never touch me again and we'll be good," Lily said.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that'll be the day."

Someone knocked on the open bathroom door. "You alright?" Ginny asked her daughter.

"I have nothing left in my stomach and you're asking if I'm alright?" Lily shrieked. She choked and hurled again.

Ginny sighed sympathatecally. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. But don't get snippy with me, I went through this too you know. Three times. And since I had morning sickness worst with you, I'd consider this payback."

Tufts of blonde hair and streams of red rushed past Ginny, hurtling downstairs and into the sitting room. Ginny recoiled further into the bathroom to avoid being trampled.

"Come on, Aunt Ginny!" Lucy cried, tripping over her too-long pajama bottoms. She righted herself, using the nearest wall for support, and grinned at her aunt. "I wanna open presents!'

Ginny took her niece's hand and allowed the nine-year-old to lead her downstairs. They were quickly followed by another round of red haired children racing one another to the Christmas tree.

"Ready to join the family?" Teddy asked.

Lily flushed the toilet and reached for Teddy's hand to help her up. She wobbled a little, unsteady on her feet, vomiting having removed most of her energy. Teddy grasped her arm and carefully steered her down the steep steps.

The sitting room was in chaos. Lucy and little Molly sat in the middle of a pile of metallic wrapping paper. Victoire, Rose ,and Dominique claimed the sofa and were meticulously unwrapping their presents. Fred and Louis huddled in a corner; Teddy was sure he spied a Weasley's Wizards Wheezes box between the two cousins. Roxanne clung to Angelina's side, staring around the room with wide eyes. Poor Roxie always was the most introverted of the Weasley clan. Hugo was chatting animatedly with his father and Uncle George. Ginny and Hermione were in the kitchen helping Mrs. Weasley with breakfast, while Fleur and Audrey kept an eye on the youngest Weasleys. Percy, Bill, Charlie, and Harry were outside with Mr. Wealsey, doing "Merlin knows what" as Mrs. Weasley put it. Teddy had a nasty feeling whatever the men were doing it had to do with the Pure Bloods. He was just thankful that whatever had occurred in the kitchen yesterday seemed to have blown over.

James and Albus entered behind Lily and Teddy. "Did a spell backfire in here?" Albus asked.

"Lily! Teddy! James! Albus! You're presents are over here!" Lucy squealed. Molly vaulted over her sister to snatch brightly wrapped packages from under the tree and distribute them.

The three Potters and Teddy secured another corner of the sitting room for themselves. Teddy was pleased to find that Mrs. Weasley had knitted him another sweater, without his initials this time. "Looks like your grandmother finally realized I do, in fact, know my own name," Teddy laughed.

"Speaking of grandmothers, what time are we visiting Andromeda?" Lily asked.

Teddy shrugged. "Whenever we can escape your family. Besides, she's spending Christmas at the Malfoys. The less time I have to spend with them, the better."

"I thought you were getting along with them?" James asked.

"I get along perfectly well with Scorpious. Rose has been the best thing that ever happened to him. He's not the brat he was, that's for sure. It's Draco I can't stand," Teddy said.

Albus nodded as he tossed tissue paper aside. "Dad and Uncle Ron say the same thing. Uncle Ron will always hold a grudge, I think. Draco was a bully to them in school."

"Yeah, but Dad's hatred has grown tenfold since Draco disowned Scorpious. Even after their reconciliation, Dad remains leery," James explained. "He has good reason, Draco treated Scorpious horribly."

* * *

September of Albus' first year...

Ten-year-old Lily Potter bounded down the stairs of Grimmauld Place when she heard her father shouting from the kitchen. Lily froze on the last step, a look of near-petrification on her face. Harry rarely yelled with such ferocity, not even at her brothers. Lily debated her next move- should she continue on her way as though nothing was wrong, or dash right back upstairs to her room?

She choose the former, curiosity getting the better of her.

"You're more like your dad than you think," a male voice said.

Lily spun round in the middle of the hallway to find Teddy leaning against the front door. "Teddy!" she squaled, jumping into his outstretched arms. "What do you mean I'm like Dad?" the little girl asked.

"He told me he used to get into trouble all the time because he never learned to mind his own business," Teddy said.

Lily pouted. "I am minding my own business; I just want to know what all the fuss is about."

Teddy laughed as he place Lily back on her feet. "You should work for the Ministry, Lily. You can spin any topic with just a few words!"

Lily grabbed Teddy's hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Ginny and Harry sat at the table, a long piece of parchment between them. They were talking quietly when Teddy and Lily entered. Ginny jumped up to grab her daughter a bowl of cereal while Harry hastily pocketed the parchment. He wasn't quick enough- Lily recognized the handwriting.

"Albus sent a letter!" she squealed. "What does he say? What house is he in?"

"Gryffindor," Harry said. He smiled at his daughter. "I never doubted it for a moment."

"He was awful scared he'd get sorted into Slytherin," Lily said solemnly. She slipped into the chair on her father's left, Teddy sliding in beside his godsister. Ginny placed a bowl before Lily and asked Teddy if he'd like something as well. He politely declined.

"Albus was worried he'd end up in Slytherin?" Teddy asked incredulously. "He's a Potter, of course he'd be in Gryffindor! Why would he think otherwise? Was he dropped on his head as a baby?"

"Yes," Ginny agreed. "James dropped him."

Teddy laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I wouldn't laugh," Harry said. "You dropped James."

Lily giggled as she slurped her cereal. Her legs, too short to reach the floor, kicked back and forth under the table in excitement. "What else does Albus say?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick, uneasy glance. It didn't go unnoticed by either Lily or Teddy.

"What's wrong?" Teddy asked. He was rather overprotective of James and Albus. They were like brothers to him after all, and he worried about them constantly. They were troublemakers, especially James, and Teddy was concerned that one day they'd take the jokes too far and end up in serious trouble.

"James and Albus are okay," Ginny responded to the looks on Teddy and Lily's faces. "As is Rose and the rest of the Weasleys. It's Albus' friend..."

Ginny looked to Harry to continue. Harry looked at Teddy. "It's Scorpious."

"What about Scorpious?" Teddy had never been close with the Malfoys. His grandmother had attempted to re-establish a relationship with her sister, which forced Teddy into spending time with that branch of of his family. He'd only met Scorpious a few times but found the boy to be quite a brat whenever Draco was around. If left to his own devices, however, Scorpious was at least manageable for a child of eleven.

"He was sorted into Gryffindor," Harry said.

Teddy worked his face for a moment. Part of him wanted very much to bust out laughing. He could easily picture Draco Malfoy's face when that particular letter arrived via owl. On the other hand, Teddy was rather amazed that Scorpious ended up in Gryffindor. The boy had never seemed the type.

"Scorpious is in Gryffindor with Albus?" Teddy asked. "They're... friends?"

Harry nodded. "We were as surprised as you are," he said, indicating himself and Ginny. "Apparently they met on the train. I distinctly remember Ron warning Rose not to get too friendly with Scorpious but that child has always had a mind of her own. From the way Albus talks, the three of them are great friends."

"Just like you and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione when you were in school!" Lily squealed.

Harry laughed at the thought. "That idea implies Rose and Scorpious will end up married. I can just see Ron's face now!"

Even Ginny had to laugh at that. She took Harry's hand in her own and masked her face in seriousness. "What about Scorpious?"

"What about him?" Teddy asked. His cousin was in Gryffindor. Draco wouldn't like it, but as far as Teddy could see, one's sorting wasn't a death blow. What was so bad about Scorpious being in Gryffindor that had Albus worried?

"Scorpious didn't tell his parents until Draco sent a Howler demanding to know. Scorpious replied, and Draco kicked him out," Harry said.

Teddy was stunned. "He kicked him out? For being a Gryffindor?"

Ginny shook her head. "Draco didn't just kick Scorpious out, he disowned him. Caught off all ties, even cut him out of the will, apparently. That was hasty, if you ask me." She sighed. "Maybe it's for the best. From what Albus implied, Draco gets violent with Scorpious. I hope he's exaggerating, or we just read it wrong. After everything Lucius put him through, I can't believe Draco would do that to his own son."

"He's eleven years old!" Teddy roared. Lily jumped and stared at the nineteen-year-old with wide eyes. "Sorry," Teddy muttered to the young girl. He ran a hand through his turquoise hair. "I know my relatives have... problems, but that's absurd!"

"My godfather's parents did the same to him," Harry said. "It's not uncommon for some Wizarding families. But you're right, it's rediculous."

Teddy bit his lip, several competing ideas running through his head. "I'll talk to Gran. Maybe she can convince Draco and Astoria to realize how wrong they are."

"What will happen to Scorpious?" Lily asked. "He doesn't have a home. Where will he go for holidays?"

Ginny and Harry glanced at each other. "Albus suggested, and we talked it over and agree, that perhaps Scorpious could move in with us," Harry said slowly. He turned to Lily and Teddy. "If that's alright with you. Albus already spoke to James about it, and he supports the idea."

Teddy let out a low, long breath. He glanced at Lily, who nodded earnestly. She had a huge heart and would welcome Scorpious with open arms. Teddy smiled. "Yeah, I think we'll be okay with it. Maybe if he's out from under Draco's influence, he won't end up like the rest of them."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Present Day...

"Is Rose getting together with Scorpious for Christmas?" Lily asked.

James glanced at their cousin, who was giggling with Dominique and Victoire. "She doesn't seem to be in any hurry if she is."

A loud squeal reverberated throughout the room. Lucy and Molly were profusely thanking their parents for their new racing brooms, while tripping over one another to grab their coats and rush outside to break in their new gifts. Audrey grabbed her daughters by the back of their collars. "Oh no, you'll have to wait until after breakfast."

The two small girls whined but obeyed. They carefully placed their brooms on the coffee table and raced each other to the kitchen, eager to start breakfast as soon as possible. "Breakfast!" They summoned the rest of the family, impatiently repeating the word until their mother slapped her hands over their mouths.

Cousins, aunts, and uncles flooded into the kitchen and crowded around the table. Years ago, Mr. Weasley had magically enlarged not only the table but the kitchen itself so that the entire family, including all tweleve grandchildren and Teddy could sit comfortably.

Lily paused on the threshold. She had a sickly green complexion. "I think I'm going to be sick!" she whispered to Teddy. Teddy gripped her wrist and pulled her back upstairs to the bathroom, just to be on the safe side.

It was excellent thinking. The aroma of Mrs. Weasley's cooking, while mouth-watering to Teddy, churned Lily's stomach in the most peculiar way and upon arriving at the bathroom she proceeded to further relinquish what was in her stomach.

"How can there be anything left?" Lily groaned.

Teddy rubbed soothing cirlces on his girlfriend's back. "I'll ask your mum if there's anything to help."

He moved to go but Lily grabbed his arm. "Don't go, I'll be fine. I just need to stay away from food for a while."

"You have to eat eventually," Teddy said, eyeing Lily and noting how pale she was.

She waved him off. "I will. I'll grab some crackers later, once this passes." She stood up, flushed the toilet again, and frowned at her attire. "I think I'll change out of my pajamas now. Then perhaps we could visit Andromeda."

Half an hour later, Teddy and Lily apparated outside Malfoy Manor, Lily dressed in jeans and her own Weasley sweater. She shivered in the cold, hugging her jacket tighter to her body. Her movements did not go unnoticed by Teddy, who wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the front door.

"I've never been here before," Lily whispered as Teddy knocked. "I don't think I've ever wanted to come, not after all the stories."

Teddy understood what 'stories' Lily reffered to. Lucius Malfoy had tortured her relatives, including Hermione, in this very house. It was slightly unnerving to find oneself a guest in a place that held such terrible memories. Granted, the same could be said for Grimmauld Place.

A house-elf opened the door. "Master Teddy, Merry Christmases, sir!"

"Merry Christmas to you, Elphalba. And it's just Teddy, no 'master,'" Teddy smiled at the poor creature, whose large ears turned pink and rushed off to announce them.

As Teddy and Lily stepped into the house, Lily whispered to Teddy, "I thought all house-elves are free. Why would one want to work for the Malfoys?"

"House-elves are still adjusting to their new status as equals. Hermione finally conceded that it will probably be several generations before they consider themselves equals," Teddy explained. "Besides, the Malfoys are one of a few Wizarding families who actually employ a house-elf. Most work at Hogwarts or running errands for the Ministry. Elphaba only works here because Draco inheirited her before the Freedom Act went into effect and she never bothered to leave."

"Teddy! Lily!" Andromeda cried as she entered the hall. "Merry Christmas!" She pulled her much taller grandson into a tight embrace before turning on Lily. "So good of you to come, dear. It's good for Teddy to have company, I know how dull these family reunions can be."

Lily smiled and folded her arm into the older woman's. The trio waltzed into the sitting room, much colder and sparse than anything Lily had seen before. She repressed a shudder.

Astoria sat by Narcissa, one eye perpetually watching her mother-in-law. Narcissa shook with tremors as she sipped a steaming cup of tea. Draco and Scorpious had acquired the armchairs by the fireplace, which housed, Teddy snorted, a pathetic excuse for a fire. Andromeda escorted Lily and Teddy to the remaining couch, dumping them there before she returned to her seat by her sister.

"Uh, Merry Christmas," Teddy directed to the room. Astoria smiled in his direction but said nothing; Narcissa was too far down the Alheizmer's slope to respond. Draco simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Merry Christmas, Teddy," Scorpious said. He grinned at his older cousin, titled his head towards his parents, and rolled his eyes. It was obvious that he, too, despised these events. "And Merry Christmas to you, Lily. How's Rose?"

Lily smirked. Even Teddy knew this was pretence until Scorpious could sneak out to meet Rose. Teddy had the distinct impression every one in the room, barring Narcissa, knew what Scorpious was up to. "Rose is good. Enjoying Christmas breakfast with the family."

Scorpious seemed satisfied with this answer, and antsy to get away as soon as possible. He fidgeted in his seat until Draco threw him a stern look. Teddy sympathized. That's how he felt this morning without Lily.

The party was silent for a while. Teddy was sure he could hear his watch ticking away the seconds. He glanced at Lily. She was picking her fingernails. She must have felt him staring because she looked up and nodded.

Teddy his cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "What is it dear?" Andromeda asked.

"We, Lily and I, have something to tell you. Two things, actually." Teddy took Lily's hand in his and squeezed. "First off, Lily's my girlfriend."

"About damn time," Scorpious grinned. He winked at Lily's shocked expression. "I've hung around you lot long enough to notice things, and trust me, I've noticed you two. Even Rose had suspicions."

"Yeah, Scorpious, about Rose. She doesn't know, about me and Teddy. We were going to tell everyone yesterday but with Scamander's death, we felt it was just too much." Lily threw Scorpious a pleading look. Thankfully, Teddy knew Scorpious had the decency not to spill their secrets. He also knew that Lily was smart to take precautions around the Malfoys and not divulge information about last night's fight or the Pure Bloods. Just because the Malfoys appeared to have done a personality 180 didn't mean it wasn't all for show.

Andromeda clapped her hands. "Oh, this is wonderful! You two make the cutest couple!" Lily and Teddy blushed.

"Gran, there's more." Teddy looked his grandmother directly in the eyes. She had a curious expression on her face, like a scientist who has stumbled across a new breed of salt water fish. "Lily's pregnant."

Scorpious' head spun around so fast Teddy worried the boy had given himself whip lash. "What?" Scorpious looked from Teddy to Lily and back again, bewilderment etched into his face. "Lily, you're a seventh year!"

"Like it doesn't happen at Hogwarts." Lily stared hard at Scorpious. "Don't judge me. I know what you and Rose get up to," she smirked. Scorpious blanched, glanced hastily at his parents, and proceeded to find amusement with his shoelaces.

"Pregnant?" Andromeda stared at Teddy. "She's barely of age! She's not even out of school yet! Teddy, I thought you knew better than that!" Andromeda shook her head in disappointment.

Teddy felt the tears prickling. He hadn't expected his grandmother to react so negatively. "Gran," he whispered. Andromeda looked up and Teddy saw that she, too, had tears in her eyes. "Gran, we know this isn't the best situation, but we'll handle it."

Andromeda sniffed. "How? How do you expect to magically become parents? How will you raise this child, afford this child? I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that love is enough, but Teddy, sometimes it's not."

"Andromeda, I understand," Lily said. She squeezed Teddy's hand harder, looking for strength. "We haven't figured this out, not yet, but we do know that we are keeping this baby and that we will raise it together."

"Will you get married?" Astoria asked. "I know it's not my place to pry..."

Teddy waved the thought away. "It's okay, Astoria. We figured that's a question most people will ask. Honestly, we don't know. It's acceptable in these modern times to have children out of wedlock. I don't know if that's the route we'll take, but there's a lot of options out there."

Andromeda looked ready to let the tears fall. "This is just so sudden," she said. "I don't want you to think that I love you less, either of you," she pointed to Lily, "or that I won't love this baby. I guess I was expecting some sort of prior notification when you decided to start a family, Teddy, after you found the right woman and got married. I missed out on that with your mother. I guess we're not a traditional family after all."

Teddy shimmied out from Lily's clutch and dropped to his knees before his grandmother. He took her wrinkled hands in his. "Gran, I promise you, that no matter what my future, our future, holds, you will always be a part of it."

Andromeda nodded and wiped her eyes. She glanced at her watch. "You'd better get back to the Weasleys. I know Molly expects you for lunch. Take Scorpious with you, he's dying to see Rose."

* * *

October of Lily's third year...

It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and the first school trip for Lily, Hugo, and their fellow third years. Lily and Hugo had agreed to meet Lysander Scamander at the Three Broomsticks, then stop by Weasley Wizards' Wheezes and hang out with Uncle George.

As they crossed the street to the shop, Lysander threw out an arm, catching Lily and Hugo across their chests. "Look, it's Rose and Malfoy." Lysander pointed down a narrow alley. Sure enough, Scorpious had backed Rose against the wall and was kissing every square inch of skin he could find.

Lily squeezed her eyes shut. "That's almost as bad as catching James and Cassidy making out," she groaned. She blindly grabbed her friends' hands and dragged them away. "I don't want to see anymore."

In the alley, Rose was biting her lip to keep from moaning. She'd been with other boys before but none had ever made her feel like this. Her skin was on fire, she was dizzy, and they were only kissing. If she ended up in bed with Scorpious, Rose wasn't sure she'd survive the experience.

"Scorpious..." Rose nearly moaned her boyfriend's name. She had to put a stop to this before the situation got out of hand. "Scorpious, stop." Rose pushed her hands against his shoulders. "Stop," she ordered.

Scorpious looked down on her, confusion clouding his grey eyes. "Stop? Why?"

"We can't do this," Rose said.

"Why not? Are you afraid people will see? We can go somewhere more private..."

Rose shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. We can't do this," she emphasized the final word with a deliberate handgesture.

Scorpious smirked. "I thought you liked this."

"I do, Merlin, I do," Rose breathed. "That's why we have to stop. I don't trust myself with you, and I won't let things go further." She looked up at Scorpious. "You understand, right?"

Scorpious pressed his forehead against Rose's. "Yeah, I understand. I don't want to pressure you, I respect you too much for that." Scorpious gulped and whispered, "I love you too much for that."

Rose gasped. She brought a hand to Scorpious' cheek. "You love me?" she asked.

Scorpious nodded. "More than anything. I know we're probably too young to talk that way, but I can't help what I feel. You've been there for me during all the ups and downs, all the crap with my dad. You saw the person I could be, through all the sarcasm and the arrogance and you made me see that person. I always thought that was something made up in Muggle romance novels, but you really do make me want to be a better person."

Stunned by this confession, Rose didn't notice the tears sliding down her cheeks until Scorpious brushed them away. It was several long moments before Rose found her voice. She couldn't believe Scorpious loved her. Well, she could, but it was still surprising to hear him admit it. She smiled and kissed Scorpious. "I love you too." She laughed against his chest. "What'll our dads say?"

Scorpious laughed too. "You're dad will probably hex me. Your uncles, too." He sobered. "I don't care what my dad has to say. He didn't approve of me being in Gryffindor, and I doubt he'll approve of us. But it doesn't matter. He wants nothing to do with me, so he doesn't get to know about us. His loss," Scorpious grinned. "He'll miss what an amazing person you are."

* * *

Present day...

Teddy, Lily, and Scorpious Apparated to the Burrow just in time for lunch. Lily smirked, positive the boys had planned the perfect timing. Scorpious was tackled as soon as he entered the kitchen, Rose throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her height for a passionate kiss; Ron glared.

Once everyone was sitting around the table, Teddy bent down and whispered in Lily's ear. "We should tell them now. Al was right, we can't keep putting it off."

Lily nodded, glancing at her parents and brothers. Ginny caught her eye and smiled. Taking a deep breath, Lily shouted for everyone to be quiet, quite a feat considering the clanking of dishes, munching of food, and squealing of small children. "This is really important," Lily pleaded. That caught everyone's attention and they settled down. James and Harry stiffened, immediately realizing what was about to happen. Even Ginny was tense. Albus just grinned and winked at his sister and Teddy.

"Um... I uh... well, Teddy and I..." Lily bit her lip and glanced around the table. All eyes were on her. She began to feel queasy again, knowing morning sickness had nothing to do with it.

Teddy sensed Lily's agitation and grasped her hand, signaling that he would take it from here. "Lily and I are dating," he said bluntly.

Murmurs raced around the table. George was frozen, a forkful of potato halfway to his mouth; Ron was an unnatural shade of red, which clashed horribly with his hair. Teddy would have found it a comical sight if the situation was different.

"You're dating?" Mrs. Weasley stared at Teddy and sighed. "I guess I can't berate you about the age difference, seeing as your father was thirteen years older than your mother. And Tonks wasn't much older than Lily when she married Remus."

"Don't give them ideas, Mum!" George cried. "I'm still trying to digest them dating, let alone anything more serious."

Albus snickered and received a quick kick from his brother. It didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Weasley. "What?" she asked. George, too, threw a questioning look at Albus. The nineteen-year-old paled, eyes darting to his sister; James rolled his eyes at his brother's lack of subtlty.

Mrs. Weasley and George followed Albus' gaze to Lily. "Lily, Teddy, is there something else you'd like to share?"

The entire Weasley clan was now staring at the young lovers. Most of the family was mildly curious, the younger children more focused on the meal than anything their cousin had to say, and the adults more concerned by the Pure Bloods' threat than whatever trouble Lily and Teddy had gotten themselves into. Victoire, however, was shooting her ex-boyfriend death glares, Albus and James were unusually focused on their plates, Scorpious couldn't keep his eyes off Rose, and Mrs. Weasley and George were disconcerted as their minds raced through all the possible meanings to the unsaid conversation between Albus and Lily.

"I'm pregnant," Lily whispered.

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "You're... you're pregnant?"

Lily nodded but did not look up. George worked his mouth, the ability to speak having escaped him. Ron spun around in his seat and pointed a threatening finger at Ginny and Harry. "You knew! How long have you known? Why didn't you tell us?"

"We only found out last night," Ginny said. "We didn't even know they were seeing each other."

The kitchen was momentarily silent. Lily refused to meet anyone's gaze. Teddy kept her hand in his, softly rubbing her thigh. He didn't miss the smile that played on Lily's lips, or the increase of pressure on his hand. He understood her need for contact, for support.

"When are you due?" Hermione asked.

"Mid-July," Lily answered.

Teddy sighed inwardly. Hermione was smiling sweetly at her niece. Regardless of Hermione's personal stance on teen pregnancy- that teens were far too young to be saddled with such responsibility -she advocated tirelessly for teen mothers in the Wizarding community to receive the same benefits of all mothers, including access to adequate healthcare and maternity leave from school. It was because of this legislation that Teddy knew he and Lily had found an ally in Hermione.

_One Weasley down, twenty-three to go,_ Teddy thought. This disturbingly reminded him, though he was but a child at the time, of the Weasley family's reaction when Ginny announced she was pregnant with James.

* * *

Five years after the Battle of Hogwarts...

"Teddy! Why is the cat blue?"

Halfway down the stairs, Teddy gripped the handrail like his life depended on it. Ginny was mad, really mad, and Teddy knew what his godmother was capable of when her emotions got the better of her. She was especially emotional lately, furious one moment and happier than than a two-year-old in a toy store the next. Teddy wasn't sure what was wrong with Ginny; he'd never seen her act so out of sorts before.

"Shut up, Harry! It's not funny!" Ginny shrieked.

Teddy giggled. He could imagine his godfather's face when he saw poor Orion. Teddy hadn't meant to turn the tabby cat blue, it just happened. He was trying to finish his homework for primary school and Orion simply would not leave him alone. Harry, too, was constantly pestered by Ginny's cat, and Teddy knew his godfather would thoroughly enjoy the revenge extracted, if accidentally, on the annyoing feline.

Laughing as exited the kitchen, Harry shouted, "Teddy! Come on, we're leaving!"

Teddy bounded down the last few steps and nearly bowled Harry over as lhe unged for his coat. "Is Ginny awful mad?" the five-year-old asked.

"No, she'll get over it," Harry said as he pulled Teddy's coat from the coatrack. "Once the shock wears off, she'll find it as funny as we do."

Orion slinked by, tip-toeing up the stairs. Teddy giggled when he caught sight of the cat's bright blue fur. "Will he stay like that?"

Harry shook his head as he helped Teddy into his coat. "We'll fix him when we get back. Right now we're late as it is." Harry buttoned his own coat and held out a hand to his godson. "Ready?"

They headed back into the kitchen, where Ginny paced by the fireplace, a sack of Floo powder in her hands. She smiled widely at Teddy and Harry. "I can't wait to see everyone. A proper Weasley family reunion. I don't think I can thank Dean enough for reserving the back room and letting Mum off the hook this year. I know she loves taking charge but it's nice for her to just sit back once in a while..."

Ginny continued to ramble as she tossed a handful of powder into the fireplace. Teddy shrinked back behind Harry. He'd never seen Ginny so giddy and he was slightly worried she was ill. He glanced up at his godfather with fearful eyes. Harry sighed and whispered, "It's just the hormones. She'll be back to normal after the baby's born."

Teddy frowned. "But that's months from now!" How were they supposed to live with Ginny until then?

"It'll be a long seven months, but we'll suffer through it, right?" Harry asked his godson pointedly. Teddy nodded and they stepped into the emerald flames.

Moments later, they found themselves in a party room, the party already started. Everywhere Teddy looked, he saw flaming red hair. Not wanting to feel left out, his hair changed to match.

"Are you sure you want to look like a Weasley?" Hermione asked, ducking out from the throng to meet Harry and Teddy. She looked down at the little boy. "Don't you want to look like you instead?"

Teddy shook his head but didn't say anything. He loved Hermione like an aunt- sometimes he even called her Aunt Hermione- but she had a habit of trying to "talk" to him, a habit Teddy did not appreciate. He may have been five but he wasn't stupid and he didn't want to be treated like a stupid little kid.

Harry sensed his godson's uneasiness and pointed to Bill, who was holding a little blonde girl. "There's Victoire. Why don't you go and say hello?"

Teddy didn't need to be told twice. He was at Bill's side in a heartbeat. "Hi, Bill. Hi, Victoire." If there was one thing Teddy Lupin was, it wasn't shy. He tugged on Bill's trousers. "I wanna play with Victoire."

The two children raced to a corner of the room where they knew they would be left alone by the adults until dinner.

Ginny was talking non-stop to Hermione and Fleur. The older women attempted to partake in the conversation but Ginny simply would not stop for a breath. Ron, who had been talking Quidditch statistics with Harry, finally had enough and confronted his brother-in-law. "Okay, what the hell is wrong with my sister?"

"Hormones," Harry answered without thinking. He gasped when he realized what he'd said; Ron looked murderous.

"What? She's... she's..." Ron grabbed Harry by the wrist and pushed him into the wall. "You knocked up my little sister?" he seethed.

Harry struggled to release himself from Ron's grasp. "It was bound to happen eventually." Ron gripped Harry's wrist tighter; Harry rolled his eyes. "Please, like you and Hermione aren't trying?"

"That's different," Ron snapped. Unfortunately, he'd spoken loud enough to Hermione's attention. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the position the boys had gotten themselves into. She tapped Ginny on the shoulder and pointed.

Harry groaned. Now both their wives, and Fleur, were staring. "Ron, let go," Harry demanded.

"What is going on?" Hermione asked. Ron didn't say anything. Harry glanced at Ginny pleadingly; she got the hint.

"Ron, let him go," Ginny said. "And get over it!"

"Get over vat?" Fleur asked. She, too, was intrigued by the boys' odd behavior. "Ginny?"

The unfolding scene was now the main entertainment in the room. Everyone, including Percy's new girlfriend Audrey, was staring. Harry felt highly inclined to kick himself. This was not how he and Ginny had planned their little announcement.

"What's going on here?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"Do you know what he did?" Ron practically yelled; Teddy and Victoire jumped. Everyone else looked at Harry, who looked at Ginny.

"Ron, I am a grown woman. I am a married woman. Married couples have sex and they have kids!" Ginny shouted.

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Kids?" She reached out a trembling hand to her daughter. "You're pregnant?" She pulled Ginny into a bonecrushing hug. "That's wonderful! I'm going to have another grandchild!"

Ron was livid. He released Harry and rounded on his mother. "You're okay with this? You're okay with what he did to your daughter?"

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione sighed. She grabbed her husband and yanked him to the other side of the room.

Harry rubbed his wrist. Some days he could do without overprotective big brothers. George clapped his brother-in-law on the back. "Nice going mate," the redhead said. "You do realize your kids are screwed, right?"

"How do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, it will either inherit our hair, or your's," George smirked.

Harry laughed. "You're right. My kids are screwed."


	5. Chapter 5

Boxing Day…

December 26 was, historically, a rollercoaster of a day. The kids would wake up, remember there were no presents to unwrap, and sulk. Once they were forced out of bed by exasperated parents, who were quite put out by their childrens' rude behavior, the kids would flip a switch and amuse themselves with whatver toys they received for Christmas. By mid-afternoon, however, they were tired of their new toys and began to wail and pout. The poor parents, who were attempting to enjoy their day off from work, hastily gave in to any and all demands to placate their children in the quickest possible manner. Oftentimes, this would involve a middle-aged adult (lacking the dexterity endowed to all humans under the age of twenty-five) to entertain the children by playing physically demanding or mentally exhausting games. By bedtime, the children were, generally, in a much happier mood than when they woke.

December 26 of this particular year strayed very far from tradition.

_"You promised, Teddy, and I'll keep you to it."_ Lily's words rang through the twenty-six-year-old's head, heart-breaking and incessant. He had told her then that if forced to break his promise, he would not hesitate; the saftey of their unborn child was more important than making him a liar.

Sighing, Teddy let the lukewarm water cascaded over his nude form. The past few days had been long and difficult. When Lily had first stepped off the train, her eyes shining with just a hint of sadness, pregnancy was the idea furthest from Teddy's mind. Now, both their families knew about them and about the baby. To top it all off, the Pure Bloods were becoming more dangerous by the day.

Teddy turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He shuffled to his bedroom and quickly dressed before Apparting to St. Mungo's. Lily was scheduled for a prenatal appointment that morning, then they would have lunch with Harry and Ginny.

The medical ward was bustling, which was rather normal for an institution in the Wizarding community when potions accidents and backfired spells were commonplace. Teddy followed the signs to the maternity ward, where he found Lily in the waiting area.

"Always punctual," Lily laughed. She hugged Teddy tightly. "I'm glad you can actually be here this time."

"Sorry I missed the first one," Teddy whispered. He felt his heart ache, for Lily and for their baby. Granted, she'd had the initial check-up at school, so the circumstances were extenuating. Teddy couldn't shake the guilt, however, that he'd started off as a bad parent and bad boyfriend.

They took two seats in the corner, hands eagerly entwined. Teddy needed the touch to remind himself that he was doing everything in his power to support Lily. Several other couples were also seated in the waiting room; some of the expectant mothers were grouped in the center, boasting to no end about their pregnancies and the children they carried.

Momentarily, a Healer arrived to call back Lily and Teddy.

The couple were led to a private room where the Healer studied Lily's chart and gathered a few final pre-natal potions for the young woman. "It's no different than any other vitamin regiment, except that it is vital you do not forget to take your potions," the Healer said as she handed the vials to Lily.

After Lily pocketed the vials the Healer had her lie back on the bed and pull her shirt up to expose her still-flat belly. The Healer muttered an incantation and a grainy picture, similiar to a Muggle ultrasound, appeared above the girl's stomach.

Teddy gripped Lily's hand. "That's... that's..." he choked. He couldn't speak. He was looking at their child, even if the only features were a blob and a few knubby appendages. Teddy sniffed but could not stop the silent tear of joy that rolled down his pale cheek.

"Everything checks out. You're baby is perfectly healthy, as is our young mother here," the Healer smiled. She said another spell and the image faded.

Lily pulled her shirt back down as the Healer left the room. She pulled herself into a sitting position and chastely kissed Teddy's lips. Wiping at his tear-stained face she said, "Mum said when Dad came for an appointment and saw James for the first time, he cried, too. You're just like him. That's how I know you'll be a great father."

Emotions swelled in Teddy's bosom and he would have cried again had not a scream shook him to his core.

Teddy raced out of the room and into the cooridor, wand at the ready. He yelled at Lily to stay in the room as a flood of panicked Healers, patients, and vistors ran past. Teddy flung himself into the on-coming traffic and back to the waiting room.

The body of a young man smacked into the wall beside Teddy just as the Auror entered the spacious area. One glance was all Teddy needed to deduced that the man was dead, his blue eyes glazed over as blood trickled down the back of his head where he had hit the wall.

Teddy barely had time to react as a series of curses came his way. He somersaulted behind a line of chairs, brining himself up in a low crouch. His gaze swept the nearly-empty waiting area. Several bodies were strewn over chairs or simply lying in unnatural positions on the floor. A Healer was dueling a cloaked wizard (_How stereotypical is that?_ Teddy thought), while three other cloaked figures dueled a pair of Aurors.

One of the cloaked wizards, which Teddy recognized as Pure Bloods, spotted the young man behind the chairs and directed his attention to the twenty-six-year old, leaving his companions to the other Aurors.

"Crucio!" the Pure Blood yelled.

"Protego!" Teddy screamed. He wasn't fast enough, and the curse knocked into his chest, sending him flying onto his back. He shrieked as waves of pain rolled through his thin frame.

The Pure Blood strolled around the chairs so he was standing linearally with Teddy with nothing blocking him from his victim. As Teddy's screams died away as the curse lifted, the Pure Blood aimed his wand again. Teddy, though weakened by the curse, finally reacted to the situation and parried the curse before launching the Pure Blood across the room with a quick "Expelliarmus!"

Breathing heavily, Teddy watched his attacker topple over chairs. The three remaining Pure Bloods faltered slightly as they watched their fallen comrade. The two Aurors, who Teddy recognized as Parvati Patil and Terry Boot, took advantage of the split-second distraction and brought down their duelers; Teddy assisted the poor Healer and knocked out the final Pure Blood.

"Thanks for that," the Healer said, before rushing off to tend to his patients.

Terry gathered the Pure Bloods wands while Parvati sent a Patronus to the Ministry. "Harry'll want to know, too," Parvati said to Teddy. Teddy nodded, quickly sending a message to his godfather.

"They're not going anywhere," Terry announced, gesturing to the Pure Blood's now bound hands and gagged mouths. "I love doing things the Muggle way. It's always so much more uncomfortable for them."

"I don't get it," Teddy said. "Why did they attack St. Mungo's?"

Parvati shrugged. "We'll find out after questioning."

Healers began to attend to the bodies of the unfortunate witches and wizards who had been caught in the crossfire. Families and spectators also crowded into the waiting area. Terry rolled his eyes. The older man pushed everyone but the Healers, Parvati, and Teddy back into the cooridors, directing the crowd to adjacent waiting areas. "Ministry officials will be along shortly to take your statements," Terry said.

"I've got to find Lily. Let me know when Harry arrives," Teddy said to Parvati as he exited the waiting room and headed back the way he came.

Lily had, for once, listened and stayed put. She jumped up from the chair she'd been sitting in at the window and launched herself into Teddy's arms.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"Pure Bloods."

Lily gasped, looking into Teddy's eyes with fear. "They were here?" she whispered. "Why?"

Teddy shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." Teddy pulled Lily closer, sighing into her red locks. "Thank Merlin you're okay."

"Me? I didn't go running, looking for trouble," Lily smirked. She noticed Teddy's set jaw and frowned. "Teddy? Did you... did you get involved?"

"I had to. I didn't know if there were other Aurors here, or if the Ministry would send them and they'd get here in time. Parvati and Terry were dueling three at once, and a Healer was dueling the fourth. It's my job, Lily," Teddy said.

"I know," Lily whispered. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Parvati knocked on the door to the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but Harry's here."

Teddy took Lily's hand and led her to the waiting room, Parvati following. The bodies of the victims had been removed, and several Healers and witnesses were being interviewed by various Ministry officials. Harry was speaking with Terry Boot and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Parvati and I will take these jerks to Azkaban. Is the paperwork complete?" Terry asked the Minister.

Kingsley nodded. "Signed and stamped as soon as the requests were put in my hands."

Harry noticed his daughter and godson loitering in the cooridoor. He excused himself as Parvati and Terry Apparated with the prisoners, leaving Kingsley to manage the questioning of witnesses.

"Are you two okay?" Harry asked as he pulled Lily into a bone-crushing hug.

"Me and the baby are fine. Baby's right on schedule," Lily said as Harry released her and repeated the fatherly concern with Teddy, embracing the young man like his life depended on it.

"And you?" Harry asked his godson. "Terry said you dueled a couple Pure Bloods, too. Even if you weren't on the clock."

Teddy laughed. "You raised me better than that, Harry. I see people in trouble, I won't turn my back on them."

"Good man," Harry clapped Teddy on the back. His careful gaze, however, did not leave Teddy's face. "Are you sure you're alright? You're eyes are slightly dulled."

Lily was now visible concerned. She took Teddy's hand in hers, angling him towards herself. She searched his eyes. "Teddy, what happened?"

"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. Just need to rest later. The Cruciatus Curse takes a lot out of you," Teddy said.

"Oh, Teddy," Lily mumbled, squeezing his hand.

Harry's face hardened. "They used the Cruciatus Curse on you? I'll kill them."

"Harry," Teddy said exasperatedly. His godfather was loyal to a fault. "I'm fine. This job has its risks. I knew that going in. So did you when you let me into the training program. I can handle it."

"I promised your parents," Harry said quietly. "I owe it to them to keep you safe. I owe it to Lily and my grandchild as well."

Teddy didn't know what to say. He had been so focused on doing his job right, on keeping his own child safe, that it never occurred to him there were other people who wanted to keep _him_ safe. Teddy sighed as the full impact of just how foolish he had been rushed over him. He would always do what was necessary to ensure the safety of others, that was one concept he could never compromise. But no longer would Teddy forget about the people he'd leave behind, the ones whose job it was to protect him.

One month after the Battle of Hogwarts...

The dead were buried, the last of the Death Eaters had been apprehended, and Hogwarts was being rebuilt. It had been Hermione's idea for the school to be up and running for the fall, should any students be willing to return. Professor McGonagall, now Headmistress, agreed that a sense of normalcy might be best for the younger witches and wizards who were still dealing with the effects of the battle and the war.

Once the announcement had been made and rebuilding commenced, Hermione attempted to persuade Ron and Harry to return and complete their education. Both men adamantly refused. They couldn't bear to return to the place where so many people they loved and cared about had breathed their last. Ginny, too, found the campus too unbearable and promptly dropped out. Hermione understood their arguments and did not press the issue. In fact, she did not return either.

The two couples moved into the now vacant Grimmauld Place and spent several days making it hospitable. When it finally began to resemble a house, Hermione broached the Teddy question.

"When is Teddy moving in?"

Harry dropped the cloth he'd been dusting with. He didn't speak or move for several moments.

Impatiently, Hermione asked again, "Harry, when is Teddy moving in?"

Ron sensed his friend's uneasiness. "Hermione, let him alone."

"Why? Harry is Teddy's godfather..." Hermione began but she left the sentence hanging at a look from Ron. Sighing, Hermione let her boyfriend lead her out of the living room and upstairs to their bedroom.

When they reached the room and Ron shut the door, Hermione rounded on him. "What? What is so wrong about asking when Harry is going to accept custody of his godson?"

"Hermione, do you know how difficult this is for Harry? He feels guilty, like Teddy losing his parents is his fault."

"That's rediculous," Hermione spat. She thought for a moment. "Does Harry feel that way about... everyone? That it's his fault they all died?"

Ron nodded. "He hasn't said as much, but that's just the point. He won't talk about it. The only reason he even attended the funerals is because we dragged him. And he was really uncomfortable being there. Especially when Mum hugged him and cried into his shoulder about how thankful she was she hadn't lost him, too."

Hermione sank onto the bed, head in her hands. "Poor Harry," she whispered. "Has Ginny tried talking to him?"

"She doesn't need to," Ron said as he joined Hermione on the bed. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, her long brown hair cascading onto his chest. "Their relationship has changed, according to her. It's all physical now, and it never used to be. Don't get me started on that. My best mate shagging my little sister." Ron shook his head furiously. "If it wasn't Harry..."

Pulling away from Ron, Hermione wiped away her tears. "We have to help him realize this isn't his fault." Hermione stood quickly, the wheels turning in her mind. "I have an idea. Floo Neville. Get him here as soon as you can."

Hermione rushed to the door, flinging it open. Ron jumped off the bed. "Hold on, where are you going?" he yelled after the brunette.

"To knock some sense into that blockheaded friend of ours!"

Ron swore as he crossed to the door. Hermione was certainly back to her old self, rushing off for research probably leaving him with only cryptic clues as to what was going on it that head of hers. Smiling weakly, Ron realized things were beginning to get back to normal, and nothing could be better.

The redhead headed to the kitchen to do as Hermione had requested, and within seconds had gotten a hold of Neville, who was staying at his grandmother's. Neville readily agreed to Hermione's plan, or at least, as Ron had no clue what the plan was, to come over and support whatver Hermione was attempting to do.

While his best friends worked to help him with his guilt, Harry had resumed dusting the living room. He had to keep busy. Inactivity was a curse. It brought back memories, the haunting images of the Great Hall, filled with bodies. He couldn't let the guilt crush him but he couldn't be happy either. The only moments he even came close to resembling the old Harry were those times when Ginny shared his bed.

"Harry?" a small voice inquired.

Harry glanced in the reflection on the fireplace mantle and spied Ginny standing in the doorway. He didn't even attempt a smile.

"Harry," Ginny said again, gliding into the room. She cautiously placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, gauging his reaction. "Harry, please look at me."

With great effort, Harry turned to face Ginny. If she hadn't been aware that she'd become his strength, Ginny would have been horrified at dead green irises staring back at her.

"Neville's here," Ginny said. "He and Ron are in the kitchen. Do you want to join them, or should I invite them in here?"

Harry shrugged and swiped the gray cloth over the mantle. Sighing, Ginny left, only to return with Ron and Neville in tow. Neville glanced at Ron and Ginny, concerned by Harry's silence. They shook their heads.

"Harry?" Neville asked.

Harry turned to his friend. "Hi, Neville," Harry said blankly.

Neville had to work to not shudder at the lack of inflection in Harry's tone. There was no feeling, no warmth, no Harry in his voice.

The four of them stood in silence, simply staring at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, they heard Hermione at the front door. Ron excused himself and went to meet his girlfriend.

"Where have you been?" Ron hissed. "I brought Neville, just like you asked. He's in the living room with Harry and Ginny but Harry won't say two words. It's maddening!"

"I know, I'm sorry, but I had to convince Andromeda to come then she had to get Teddy ready and babies really are a lot of work and..." Hermione would have continued rambling had she not been interrupted by Ron.

"Wait, Andromeda and Teddy? That's where you went?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded. "Harry hasn't even met Teddy yet, not even at Remus and Tonks' funerals. Harry went out of his way to avoid the poor kid. Maybe if we can get Harry to just look at Teddy, we might finally get him to realize how much Teddy needs him."

"How much we all need him," Ron muttered.

Hermione took his hand in his. She understood how hurt Ron was to watch his friend slipping away. "Go back to the living room. We'll be in in a minute."

Ron nodded and did as he was told. He entered to find Harry sitting in an armchair, an improvement on his fanatical cleaning. Ginny and Neville were also seated; Ron joined his sister on the couch. "Hermione's back. She'll be in shortly," Ron said.

"Neville!" Hermione cried upon entering the living room. She gave him a hug. "Wonderful to see you."

"You, too, Hermione," Neville smiled. He glanced up curiously as the living room door opened again and Andromeda Tonks strode in, Teddy in her arms.

Harry's eyes went wide as he spied the two-month-old. Ron glanced at his friend and bit his lip, praying Hermione's plan would work. He wasn't sure what to make of the incredulous look on Harry's face.

"Hello, Harry," Andromeda said. She shifted the wiggling bundle in her arms, revealing Teddy's bright turquoise hair. "It's been a while."

Harry nodded. He looked to Ron and Hermione questioningly. Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, do I have to do everything? Harry, we're concerned about you. You need to get over it. What happened is not your fault. You can't keep blaming yourself."

"They would still be alive if it wasn't for me. I got them killed, all of them," Harry cried.

"No, Harry," Andromeda said firmly. "They knew what they were doing. They gave their lives so we could live in peace and safety. Don't you dare take that away from them."

The room was silent. Finally Harry asked, "What do I do?"

Andromeda crossed to the seventeen-year-old, thrusting Teddy in his arms. "You honor them and you do right by Teddy."

"No," Harry said shakily, pushing Teddy back to Andromeda. "You're his grandmother, his family. He belongs with you."

"I'm old, Harry, too old to raise another child," Andromeda said, battling Harry and again passing him Teddy. Again, Harry refused to hold the infant.

Neville couldn't stand it any longer. "Harry, listen to her." Neville's voice was authoritative, catching Harry's attention. "I love my gran, but it was hard on her, raising me. And it was hard on me. She was physically exhausted each day because I was hard to keep up with. If I had another option, I wish we could have taken it. Teddy does. Teddy has you. You need each other."

"I can't," Harry whispered. "Remus should never have asked me. I should never have agreed."

"Why not?" Ginny asked sharply. She glared at Harry. "Remus would never have asked if he didn't think believe in you."

Harry shut his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them again, he glanced at Andromeda and finally took Teddy into his arms. Harry cradled the cooing baby, whose hair automatically turned jet black. Harry couldn't help but smile. "Hi, Teddy," Harry said quietly. "Nice to meet you."

Teddy gurgled, pudgy hands waving in the air. Harry took in the infant's features, noting just how much Teddy looked like Remus. It was then that Harry decided to take custody of his godson.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked Andromeda, seeking confirmation.

Andromeda nodded. "This is right. This is how it should be. I know you're young, not even eighteen, but you have Ron and Hermione and Ginny to help. And I'm available whenever you need me, don't hesitate to ask." She stood, holding out a hand for Harry to shake; he took it. "I best be off. Take good care of him."

"I will," Harry promised.

Neville left soon after Andromeda, and Ron and Hermione retired to their bedroom, leaving Harry with Teddy and Ginny.

The redhead propped herself on the arm of her boyfriend's chair, letting Teddy take one of her fingers in his hand. "He's adorable," Ginny remarked. "You're quite good with him."

"We are doing the right thing, aren't we?" Harry wondered.

"We'll make mistakes. But think of it as a dry run for our future children," Ginny laughed. "We love him, and we love each other. We'll make it."

Harry shifted Teddy as the infant yawned and succumbed to sleep. "Could I have some time with him?" Harry asked.

Ginny quickly agreed and silently left the room. Harry rocked the infant, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I promised your parents and now I'm promising you. I owe it to your dad. He did so much for me, and I want to impart to you everything he taught me. We're his legacy, you and me," Harry whispered. "Me and Ginny will take care of you. And Ron and Hermione and all the Weasleys. We might not be a traditional family, but we're still family." Harry began to choke back sobs. "For the longest time, I knew nothing of my parents. I won't let that fate befall you. I'll make sure you know all about your's. That's why I will never let you call me 'dad.' I'm not your dad, and I don't aim to be. I could never dishonor Remus' memory like that. One day, you'll understand. Even if I only let you call me 'Harry' or 'Uncle Harry' or whatever you want, I will love you, Teddy." The tears were freely flowing now. "You're not my son but I'll love you as such. I promised. I will love and protect you. I let down so many people in my life. I swear to never let you down."

Boxing Day...

Ginny was waiting at the restaurant. She checked her watch. Harry had left over an hour ago when Teddy's Patronus showed up and told them about the attack at St. Mungo's. Harry told her to wait for them. He'd take care of the paperwork and return with Teddy and Lily.

Suddenly, Ginny spied a head of turqouise hair bobbing into the restaurant, followed by Harry's messy mop and Lily's deep red locks. As soon as they approached the table, Ginny pulled all three of them into a hug.

"I was so worried," she whispered.

"We're fine, Ginny," Harry said soothingly.

They took their seats around the little square table. The waiter momentarily arrived to take their orders. Ginny, still concerned and not quite convinced that everything was as alright as Harry would lead her to believe, broached the subject again. "Are you sure you're all okay?"

"Yes, Mum," Lily smiled, absently rubbing her stomach. "All four of us are perfectly fine."

"What happened?" Ginny asked, directing her question to Harry and Teddy.

Harry ran a hand through his untidy hair. "Dunno. I mean, we know the events of the attack, we just don't know the motive. It seemed random."

"Pure Bloods are never random," Teddy muttered. "Even when they appear to just be attacking people on the street, there's a reason. They target people or groups of people or simply do something to make a point."

"The victims? Did they have anything in common?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head. "They'd never even met prior to today when they were in the waiting room. And that was simply scheduling."

Something clicked in Teddy's brain as Harry spoke, an idea that hadn't occurred to him before. "What if the Pure Bloods had tampered with the scheduling, to get those particular people at St. Mungo's at the same time?"

"It's possible, but I don't see why they would go to all that effort," Harry said.

"They would if they wanted certain people at the same place at the same time," Lily excalimed, catching on to Teddy's train of thought.

"But why? What's so special about the victims?" Ginny asked, very confused.

Teddy gasped and turned a sickly shade of green. "No," he whispered. His eyes met Harry's. "The maternity ward. They wanted those people at the maternity ward. Two of the witches who died were pregnant, but the men must have simply been in the way." Harry furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding. Teddy continued. "History is repeating itself."

Harry paled. "You think there's another prophecy, one the Pure Bloods know about and they were trying to get rid of the child who would bring about their undoing?"

"It makes sense, especially since all the prophecies at the Ministry were destroyed, we wouldn't have a clue. The Pure Bloods would have the upper hand," Lily said.

"Teddy, office, now. Ginny, Lily, sorry we have to cut lunch short, but we have work to do," Harry said as he stood and threw money on the table to pay the bill.

Teddy quickly kissed Lily while Harry kissed Ginny and the two men Apparated to their offices at the Ministry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Boxing Day…

Teddy slumped into his chair, spinning it around so he faced his office window. Apparently someone at the Ministry was having an equally bad day as Teddy watched a blizzard rage and howl.

Two knocks at the door had Teddy spinning back around towards his desk. Tyler Johnson, Victoire's boyfriend, stood in the doorjamb. "Hey, Teddy," Tyler said. "Got some papers here for you."

Tyler dropped a stack of parchment on his co-worker's disorganized desk. He scratched his blond head, shuffling his feet nervously. "We haven't found anything."

"Yeah, well keep looking," Teddy said as he rifled through the papers.

"That's just it, Teddy," Tyler said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking, if possible, even more agitated. "We've exhausted every available resource. Our international associates have also exhausted all of their resources. If this prophecy exists, we have no record of it."

It took all of Teddy's willpower not to growl at Tyler. After a calming breath, Teddy ordered Tyler to get him two passes into the Department of Mysteries.

"Two?" Tyler asked. "Surely you don't want me or Mr. Potter with you?"

Teddy shook his head. "Harry's way too busy with everyday crap to help with this. And you're not qualified. I need Lily."

"Because a seventh-year student is qualified," Tyler snorted bitterly.

If looks could have killed, Tyler would have instantly been turned into ash after the glare Teddy gave him. There really was no bad blood between the men, even if they both had dated Victoire. It was more defense of Lily that had Teddy in an uproar. "She's her father's daughter. If that's not enough for you, then let me tell you about her fourth year." Teddy clasped his hands behind his head, propping his feet on the desk as Tyler hastily scribbled an interdepartmental note to acquire the passes.

"So it's mid-November and James and Albus are seaking into Hogsmeade for firewhiskey. Gryffindor won their most recent Quidditch match and they want a party. So the boys sneak out and they're gone a while but nobody really notices because they're too busy celebrating. Finally Lily gets worried and goes to Rose and Scorpious for help, but they're too busy snogging to even notice Lily so Lily goes after her brothers herself. Turns out the boys got themselves kidnapped by a Pure Blood, one of the first to surface actually. Lily tracks them down to an abandon house in Hogsmeade, sneaks in, and takes on the Pure Blood. Guess who won?"

"Lily," Tyler mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Teddy grinned, knowing he was annoying the hell out of his co-worker by telling heroic stories starring his girlfriend. "Yep, that girl can kick ass. A fourteen-year-old that can take on a fully growned and educated mentally unstable Wizard with powers we can barely imagine? I'd take her over you any day."

A paper airplane zoomed into Teddy's office. He snatched it out of the air, dismissing Tyler with a wave of his hand. The memo included both passes and a quick blurb from Angelina Weasley, an Unspeakable and Head of the Department, telling Teddy to watch himself as the Hall of Prophecies was still, even after all these years, a mess.

Passes in hand, Teddy shut up and locked his office and headed to Harry's, sending Lily a Patronus asking her to meet him at the Ministry. Knocking at his godfather's office door, Teddy asked tentatively, "Harry? You busy?"

Harry looked up and grinned at his godson. "Just finishing some paperwork. Again. This is not what I was hired to do."

Teddy laughed, taking the chair across from Harry; Harry rearranged his desk, shoving several folders into a nearby cabinent. "What's up, Teddy?"

"I summoned Lily to help me find this damn prophecy that may or may not exist. But I know it does, Harry, I can feel it."

Harry nodded. "I get that, trust me, I do. I know we haven't come across anything conclusive yet, but I say follow your instincts and keep looking." Harry furrowed his brows. "Why do you need Lily?"

"You know as well as I do that she'll probably follow in your footsteps. She's more like you than James or Albus. She's resourceful and she's good. But I know you don't want her here anymore than I do." Teddy looked hard at Harry who never took his green eyes off his godson. "Maybe if we get her interested in another Department..."

"You want to exploit my daughter and skew her perspective so it matches a future that you feel is more appropriate for her?" Harry asked.

"Well, when you put it like that... yes," Teddy smirked.

Harry laughed. "I couldn't agree more. Although you're right, she is resourceful, which means she'll probably figure out what we're up to."

"I love her," Teddy whispered. "If protecting her means she has to hate me for some action or another I've done, then so be it."

They were interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. James and Albus waited outside their father's office, glancing inquisitively from Harry to Teddy and back again. It wasn't that Teddy visiting Harry's office was unusual, it was just that the Potter boys were rather perceptive and immediately took stock of the slightly worried expressions on their father's and godbrother's faces.

"Sorry, Dad, I have a report to file and Albus wanted to let you know that Lily's here and looking for Teddy," James announced. "Are you two alright?"

"As well as can be expected, considering," Teddy answered. He stood, strectched out the kinks in his muscles, and headed for the door, James and Albus parting to let him pass. "Where's your sister?"

"Outside your office," Albus said. His gaze searched Teddy's pale face. "You sure you're alright? You seem... more worried than usual."

"What, did you not get the memo about what happened this morning?" Teddy asked amazedly. He glanced at his watch: it was 6:15pm. "It's been nearly seven hours!"

Albus rolled his eyes. "No, we heard what happened. Noboby around here can keep their mouth shut about something like that, you know." He paused, eyes going wide. "It's not the baby is it? If anything happens to my future niece or nephew..."

"No, no, the baby's fine, perfect actually," Teddy grinned. He spotted Lily waiting sentinel outside his door and quickly exchange farewells with the guys.

"What exactly do you need me for?" Lily asked as Teddy strode to her. "I was kind of in the middle of puking my guts out when I got your message."

Teddy wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Sorry. That's not going to be a problem, is it? I mean you having to vomit in the middle of our work?"

Laughing, Lily said, "No, I'm done for a few hours. Dinner just didn't sit very well with me." She crossed her arms and cocked her head interestedly. "You haven't answered my question."

Taking Lily's hand, Teddy led to an elevator and into the depths of the Ministry. Lily was silent during the trip, though she did raise an eyebrow when she realized their destination. The elevator came to a halt, allowing them time to exit before zooming back up for another load of passengers headed in very different directions. The lower floor was chilly and dreary, not a location Teddy would have chosen willingly. He beckoned Lily forward and together they headed down the hallway to a menacing looking door.

"Dad's told me about this place. So has Aunt Angelina. She's proud of the re-decorating they've done since... well, since you know when," Lily whispered.

Teddy nodded, removing the passes from his back pocket and placing them in a small box bracketed to the wall on the left side of the door. The box glowed, the golden glow emenating to the door until the door disappeared. Teddy and Lily stepped through and the door re-materialized.

Inside was a series of more doors, seven on the left and six on the right. None of the doors were labeled, but one had a faint glow that grew stronger as the couple moved closer.

"I guess this is it," Teddy said. He gripped the handle and swung the door.

Lily gasped. The chamber, which extended beyond her vision, was bathed in a smoky-blue haze, wisps of light curling around busted shelves and towering columns. Shattered pieces of glass littered the floor, leaving no walking space, not even where aisles between shelves had once existed. It was beautiful, the light reflecting off the glass. It was horrible, the screeching of crones and deep baritones of prophets as precariously perched prophecies tottered on their uneven shelves before finally slipping off and crashing to the ground.

"Maybe Tyler was right," Teddy said dejectedly. He glanced around the room, his heart sinking further with every inch that passed beneath his gaze. "Maybe there's nothing else to look into."

"Or maybe Tyler was wrong and they overlooked something," Lily said hopefully. She squeezed Teddy's arm. "You know this isn't their Department. They don't understand its mechanices or even its floor plan. It wouldn't be shocking if they had missed something."

Teddy understood Lily's determination to cheer his spirits and smiled reluctantly. They stepped further into the chamber before splitting up to search for anything resembling a prophecy that could apply to the Pure Bloods.

Two hours later and Lily sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by shards of glass,sleeves rolled up, blue smoke tickling the skin of her bare arms. She groaned, running a hand through her red bangs.

"I'll take that as a no?" Teddy inquired from thirty feet away.

"No, nothing yet. I'll keep looking," Lily said, shifting slightly and rubbing her stomach.

"You okay?" Teddy asked. "Not sick or anything, are you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I know I'm only two months along but it still feels... it feels weird. Maybe it's a psycho-sematic reaction to being pregnant in the first place, but I feel like there's bubbles moving around in belly."

"That's something you'd have to talk to Ginny about. I don't know much about pregnancy," Teddy said. He could have kicked himself. He quickly stood and made his way to Lily, who was rather startled by Teddy's sudden change in demeanor. He looked anguished.

"But I'm going to learn everything I can. I'll read up on pregnancy, childbirth, and everything we need to know about raising a child. And I've already started a fund so we can upgrade from my apartment and get a house and I have more than enough money to buy all the baby things and..."

"Teddy," Lily interrupted, putting a slender finger to his lips. "You're rambling."

"I know," Teddy sighed. "I'm scared, Lily. I'm scared I'll screw something up, I'll screw our kid up."

"All parents-to-be have those fears, Teddy. Mum says it's perfectly natural. And we've talked about this. We'll be great parents. You will be an amazing father," Lily said. She stroked Teddy's cheek. "Have more confidence in yourself."

Teddy leaned into Lily's touch. "Does that mean we should start discussing names now?"

* * *

Five years after the Battle of Hogwarts...

Ginny permanently kept a hand on the swell of her belly. The child within rolled and kicked once before settling back into what Ginny supposed was a comfortable position for a fetus.

"How's the baby doing?" Harry asked as he entered the living room, tossing his cloak on an armchair. He knelt by his wife, placing a light kiss on her stomach and another on her temple.

"Restless," Ginny replied. She swept a hand through Harry's messy hair. "How was work?"

"Boring as hell. Have I told you how much I hate paperwork?" Harry complained. He pulled himself onto the couch, Ginny snuggling into his side. "Hermione stopped by to drag Ron to lunch. She almost made him miss his lunch hour, kept going on about some new law she's trying to get passed."

Ginny sighed. "I remember when we used to go to lunch."

"We will again, once the Healer takes you off bedrest." Harry ran a hand up and down Ginny's side. "Speaking of, what are you doing down here?"

"Needed a snack. Mum was called away to watch Victoire; I told her to take Teddy with her."

"Molly left you on your own?" Harry asked. "Is the world ending and I didn't get the memo?"

Ginny laughed, playfully swatting her husband's arm. "I'm a big girl, Harry Potter, I can fend for myself."

"Well, you're done fending for yourself for today." Harry kissed the top of Ginny's head. "I am your servant, my lady."

"I like the sound of that," Ginny said seductively. She snaked a hand to Harry's neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. "Give you one guess what my first order is."

Harry pretended to think about it for a moment. "Ice cream and pickles? I hear it's a favorite with pregnant women."

"You are a failure," Ginny giggled. "And now you've made me hungry!"

"I guess it's up to me to fix dinner then," Harry sighed. "Keep your wand ready in case I burn down the house."

Harry moved to leave but Ginny clutched at him desparately. "Don't leave," she whispered. "I've been alone all afternoon, I desire company."

Without a word, Harry scooped Ginny into his arms and carried her into the kitchen. He plopped her onto a chair, pulling another one under her raised feet and swollen ankles. "There," Harry said, satisfied with his work. "Now I can cook and can keep you company."

"You are too good to me, Harry Potter," Ginny said, blowing Harry a kiss.

Harry began tossing various vegetables into a pot. "You wanted company. What do you want to talk about, love?"

Ginny squirmed in her seat; the baby was kicking again. "Baby names."

Harry nearly dropped the knife he was using to chop carrots. He glanced at Ginny in shock. "Come again?"

"I want to discuss baby names," Ginny repeated.

"But I though we agreed to wait until the baby was born. Then we'd know the gender and get a better feel for his or her personality," Harry said.

Ginny snorted. "Harry, you and I both know that regardless of personality or gender we will still decide to use the stock names that we've both decided on, whether or not we have actually discussed said names with one another."

"How do you know we've chosen the same names?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows mischeviously.

"Because I know you better than anyone," Ginny said decidedly.

Harry figured he had to concede the point and resumed chopping up carrots. The kitchen was silent, save for the silver blade whacking the wood cutting board and the hiss of the stove. Harry knew exactly what he wanted to name his child, boy or girl. He just wasn't sure how to approach Ginny about it. The names were important to him, they held the deepest meaning and honor to the departed.

"James Sirius," Ginny said into the silence.

Lost in thought and slightly confused as to why Ginny was suddenly naming his father and godfather, Harry turned to her and stupidly asked, "What about them?"

"For a boy," Ginny said. "If the child is male his name should be James Sirius."

Harry could have cried. Instead, he stood by the stove, immobile, mouth open. Ginny did know him better than anyone. Finally recovering his voice, Harry queried, "And if it's a girl?"

"Lily for a first name for sure," Ginny said. She paused. "But I don't know about a middle name."

"Nymphadora," Harry said quietly.

Ginny stared at her husband. "She would haunt you, you know. Tonks hated that name."

"I know, believe me, we all know. But I just feel like it's the right name. Tonks was a great friend, almost like a sister, and I want to honor her as such," Harry explained.

Ginny bit her lip, rubbing circles on her stomach where the baby had, once again, kicked her in the ribs. "Are you sure? I mean, I like it, I do. I love it, in fact. But should we take the name away from Teddy?"

"We're using it as a middle name," Harry said, turning back to the pot on the stove and stirring it. "Besides, once he's old enough to understand I hope he'll be honored as well."

* * *

Boxing Day...

"I don't think we need to discuss names," Lily laughed, kissing Teddy's nose. "We'll be as bad as my parents, having our kid's name simply decided."

Teddy glanced at his girlfriend questioningly. "How do you mean?"

"Well, they knew they were going to name us after the people in their lives who had the greatest impact," Lily explained. "Like, how me and James are named after our grandparents, and Albus is named after Dad's mentor."

Teddy nodded. "You have a point." He scratched his chin, thoughtful for a moment. If there child was a girl, he wanted to name her after his mother. Since Nymphadora was also Lily's middle name, it would represent both. And after everything Ginny Potter had done for him, Teddy knew without a doubt she would have to be honored as well. "Dora Ginevra if it's a girl," Teddy said.

"Dora? You want to shorten it?" Lily asked.

"Mum hated her name. And you hate it, too," Teddy smirked.

Lily nodded furiously. "Merlin, I hate it. I love it, all the stories I've heard of your mum, she was a great woman. But I get why she hated her name. It's terrible!"

"That's one gender down," Teddy said. He slipped into his thoughts again. If they had a son, they would have to name it after Harry. He'd raised Teddy, he'd mentored him, he'd been the most promient parental figure in the young man's life and he would be this child grandfather's. Tears came to Teddy's eyes, threatening to spill. Parental figure. "If it's a boy," Teddy croaked. He bit back a sob before trying again. "If it's a boy, I want to name him after our dads."

Lily smiled knowingly, sadly, and traced Teddy's jawline with her palm. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah."

Teddy brought his forehead to rest against Lily's, breathing in her scent. He placed a hand over her belly where their child grew and nearly cried again. Moments passed like this before Teddy summoned the resolve to continue with their work. "Come on, we're not done yet."

Lily sighed as Teddy moved away. "It's hopeless," she said. She waved an arm over the shards at her feet. "The ones that smashed, they must have expelled the prophecies when they broke. That's what all this bioluminesence is- remants of the releases."

"Some are still intact," Teddy said defensively. "We'll just have to focus on them."

"But most of those are newer prophecies, foretold in the past twenty years," Lily said. She shook her head. "Dad thought none of the prophecies survived, and I think he was right."

"I'm not giving up," Teddy said.

Lily struggled to her feet, careful not to step on any glass shards, and rounded a corner, picking her way down an aisle where a row of fragile prophecies sat on a shelf. She scanned the first few which mainly addressed weather phenomena (_should pass those along to Muggle meterologists_, Lily thought). She sighed, and continued scanning. One prophecy caught her eye. It was labeled differently than the others, as though by a different hand. Also, the others specifically addressed a person or location. This prophecy had a simple string of words reading, "Ancients and X." Lily wondered what the X meant.

She took the prophecy from the shelf, gasping when it came into contact with her skin. "Teddy!"

Teddy bolted down the aisle, sliding into location beside Lily. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Lily whimpered. "I... I just picked it up and it felt like it burned me."

"Maybe they do that if you're not the one the prophecy relates to," Teddy mused as he gently pried Lily's fingers from the globe. He attempted to remove it from her palm when a face appeared in the mist of the globe and began speaking in a language Teddy did not recognize.

"Great, we need a translator," Teddy muttered. He glanced at Lily, who stared unblinkingly at the globe as though she'd been bewitched. "Lily?" Teddy asked. He waved a hand before his girlfriend's glazed face. "Lily?" Teddy asked louder. The seventeen-year-old did not flinch. "Lily, snap out of it!" Teddy shrieked.

Lily started and blinked rapidly. "Teddy?" she asked disorientedly.

"I'm here. What the hell was that?" Teddy demanded.

"I understood every word she said. I knew it wasn't English but I still understood it," Lily whispered. She thrust the prophecy into Teddy's hands. "Take it away! I just want to forget!"

"Forget?" Teddy asked as he cradled the prophecy. "What do you mean- Lily!"

Lily turned on her heel and fled back down the aisle and to the chamber door. Teddy swore, clutching the fragile globe to his chest so as not to drop it and smash it into a million tiny pieces.

"Lily! What the hell?" Teddy screamed after Lily's diminuitive figure.

"Keep that thing away from me!" Lily screeched when she spotted the prophecy in Teddy's arms.

Teddy stopped short, staring at Lily, horrified at her behavior. Had the prophecy addled her brain somehow? "Lily, love, tell me what's wrong," Teddy gently coaxed.

"It... it..." Lily sobbed. "It said the child, the child who harbors dual powers. The child of the one who died and now lives. This child will be the only force to stop the ancient ones, the most powerful of all history. It said the ancient ones are the only true wizards in existence."

Teddy had to take a few minutes to process this information. "So the ancient ones it speaks of are the Pure Bloods? I mean, they are technically the only true wizards since we all have Muggles somewhere on our familly tree. But who's the child? It says child, so I assume someone not born." A light clicked on in Teddy's brain. "The Purebloods knew about the prophecy, and the child to be born. That's why they were at the maternity ward!" Panicked siezed the young man. "No, Lily, tell me it doesn't mean our child!"

"It doesn't mean our child," Lily affirmed.

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief.

"It means me," Lily said.


	7. Chapter 7

Boxing Day…

"Wait, what?" Teddy asked, surprised. "You?"

"Yes," Lily whimpered, "me. It means me."

Teddy glanced down at the prophecy in his hands, utterly bewildered by Lily's assumption. He noticed that she seemed intent on racing out of the room as quickly as possible and grabbed her wrist to hold her in place.

"Just... hold up a minute while I figure this out," Teddy said.

"Figure it out?" Lily laughed. "What's there to figure out, Teddy? I'm the one who has to stop the Pure Bloods. I think we've got that pretty much figured out!"

Teddy shook his head. "No, you _think_ you have it figured out. You're brilliant, Lily, but you might be mistaken about this."

"I doubt it."

Sighing, Teddy relaxed his grip and suggested they head to Angelina's office and ask her opinion. Lily spun on her heel and led the way.

It simply did not make any sense to Teddy. Why would the prophecy be about Lily? Yeah, her dad had been named, so to speak, in an earlier prophecy but that didn't mean it was something that ran in the family. As they continued down a long cooridoor Teddy mentally ran through Lily's translation: a child with dual powers born of one who died and now lives. It simply did not add up to Lily. She wasn't more powerful than any other witch in her year.

Arriving at Angelina's office, Lily knocked quickly and entered before Angelina even finished inviting them inside.

"Lily, Teddy, what-" Angelina's unfinished question hung in the air as Lily sunk into the chair across from her aunt's desk and sobbed into her hands.

Teddy swiftly placed the prophecy on Angelina's desk before kneeling at Lily's side, rubbing a comforting hand along her arm.

"What happened?" Angelina asked.

"Lily's a little shook up. She thinks the prophecy we found applies to her," Teddy explained.

Angelina's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"It said..." Lily struggled to speak between sobs. "It said that the person who is capable of defeating the Pure Bloods will have a parent who died but is still alive and will have dual powers."

"And you think it names you?" Angelina sighed. "Oh, Lily, I'm sure you're mistaken-"

"I'm not!" Lily yelled, finally looking up at her aunt. She shook her red hair furiously. "I know it means me. Teddy couldn't understand the prophecy, it was spoken in a foreign tongue. But I could understand it. How do you explain that?"

Teddy shrugged. "You were touching it. Maybe touching it created a channel from the prophecy to you."

"It's possible," Angelina agreed. "I have records of that sort of thing happening before."

"See, Lily," Teddy began, "you're just overreacting-"

"Unh!" Lily cried out, clutching at her abdomen and nearly tumbling out of the chair. "Help me," she gasped before passing out and collapsing in the chair.

"Lily!' Teddy rushed to his girlfriend's side, carefully lifting her head up. Lily pitched forward, limp as a rag doll. "Floo!" Teddy shouted to Angelina. "We need to get her to St. Mungo's, now!"

While Angelina pulled a small cloth sack from the mantle of her office fireplace, Teddy scooped Lily into his arms, watching her head loll back against his shoulders. He felt her pulse vibrating through her sweater and was astonished by how relieved he felt that her heart was still beating. He'd nearly lost her once, he couldn't lose her again.

* * *

Nine Years After the Battle of Hogwarts...

Harry sat in the waiting room at St. Mungo's, James and Teddy on his left, little Albus in his lap. They'd just put the boys to bed when Ginny started bleeding. Harry could still picture it: Ginny sitting on the edge of their bed, a small red stain growing into a large red stain on the bottom half of her nightgown, Ginny's face turning ashen as her hands flew to her pregnant belly.

They'd put shoes and coats on the boys and flooed to the hospital immediately. The Healers told Harry to wait with the boys, denying him access to the intensive care unit. Teddy had ushered James and Albus to a handful of chairs in the corner of the waiting room while Harry argued with the Healers, eventually gave in, and finally contacted Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley.

Sighing, Harry ran a hand along his youngest son's pale arm, reassuring the toddler. "Mummy will be alright."

"Baby?" Two-year-old Albus asked, looking up into his father's matching eyes.

Harry felt his heart clench. He hadn't expected Albus to ask about his unborn sibling. Teddy might have broached the subject, but Teddy was also older and more capable of understanding the seriousness of the situation. Harry had no idea how to explain life and death to his son.

"The Healers will do everything they can to make sure the baby and Ginny are okay," Teddy said, ruffling little Albus' untidy hair. He glanced up at his godfather, offering Harry a weak smile. Harry tried to smile back.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley tore across the waiting room, moving faster than Harry had seen her move in years. She pulled her son-in-law into a bear hug, squashing poor Albus as well. Harry could feel the hot wet tears of uncertainty pouring down Mrs. Weasley's face. "What's happening?"

"They haven't said," Harry said as Mr. Weasley and Ron entered the waiting room. "Where's Hermione?"

"She didn't want to bring Rose," Ron explained. "Besides, the Healers have her on this strict prenatal diet and Hermione being Hermione she is determined to follow it perfectly and that includes the full seven hours of sleep."

If the situation was different, Harry would have laughed at his sister-in-law's meticulousness. Instead he simply nodded at Ron and resumed his seat beside his sons.

Half an hour later, Ron pacing the waiting room nervously while Harry refused to relinquish his grasp on Albus and Mrs. Weasley entertained Teddy and James with stories about Harry and Ginny at Hogwarts, a Healer finally appeared. The middle-aged woman walked quickly into the room and pointed at Harry. "Your wife and the baby are fine. We stopped the hemorraging and ran some tests on both mother and child. Neither is expected to suffer any long-lasting effects, though we'll keep Ginny in hospital for a few days for observation."

Harry was so relieved he could have kissed the Healer. Then the Healer said, "Now I need you to come with and we'll get you a gown."

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"Do you want to see your daughter born or not?" the woman asked. "We stopped the hemorraging but we couldn't stop your wife's labor."

"Ginny's in labor," Harry whispered to himself. Reacting rather than thinking, he shoved Albus into Ron's arms and followed the Healer.

"Baby?" Albus looked up into his uncle's wide-eyes. "Little sister?"

Ron glanced at the toddler in his arms and grinned. "Yep, you're gonna be a big brother, Albus."

Harry was amazed at the fluidity of the Healers' work. They bustled around Ginny's bed almost effortlessly, constantly checking monitors or helping Ginny swallow potions. Harry stepped closer to his wife, waiting for an opening in the throng so he could be at Ginny's side.

"Harry!" Ginny called, spying him through the arm of a Healer than was hooking her to another IV. Ginny smiled wearily. "You're here."

"Wouldn't miss this for anything," Harry said as he squished in between the Healers and kissed his wife's forehead.

The female Healer that retrieved Harry from the waiting room was standing patiently at the end of the bed. She looked up at the happy couple and smiled. "Let's bring this little baby into the world."

Albus and James played on the floor of the waiting room while Teddy checked his watch. Again. Harry had been gone for two hours and Teddy was beginning to worry. What if something happened to Ginny or the baby?

The doors to the intensive care unit finally opened to reveal a haggard looking Harry. Everyone glanced up, waiting breathlessly. It took a moment for Harry to recognize that he was not alone and was expected to give them an update. "I have a daughter," Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley shrieked with joy and pulled Harry into another bone-crushing hug. "Another granddaughter, how wonderful!"

While Molly interrogated Harry on the newborn's every feature, from her eyes to her toes, Ron and Teddy exchanged a worried glance. They both remembered how estatic Harry had been when James and Albus were born but something was off today. He wasn't rattling off weight or length or bemoaning that his sons had inheirited the telltale Potter hair.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Ron asked.

Now James and Albus, who had been watching their father intently but not really paying attention to anything other than their tug-of-war over an Oliver Wood action figure, glanced up at the adults, concern etched into their infantile faces. Ron knelt to grab Albus while Teddy wrapped an arm around James.

"She's tiny, not even five pounds. Her lungs aren't fully developed and every vein is visible through her skin. She's nearly transparent," Harry whispered.

Mrs. Weasley's hand flew to her mouth; Teddy tightened his grasp around James. "What are the Healers saying?" Ron asked.

"They're pumping her with potions but we'll just have to wait and see. They said it's up to her."

"She's a Potter. She's a fighter," Teddy said. "Can we see her?"

Harry nodded and led his family down a series of corridors to the nursery in the maternity ward. Several newborns were sleeping or squalling in their plastic beds while Healers and parents kept a close eye on the rising and falling of the babies' chests. Harry immediately crossed the room to where a little redheaded girl was sleeping.

"Hi, Lily," Harry whispered, running a hand along the infant's bare chest.

Teddy had to stifle a gasp when he saw how helpless Lily looked in her crib. James and Albus were so strong when they were born, it was unnerving to see their little sister in this state.

"Can we hold her?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Harry nodded and carefully placed his little girl into her grandmother's arms. Almost immediately, Lily began to wail. Mrs. Weasley attempted to calm the infant but to no avail; Lily simply screamed louder and began to cough piteously. Mrs. Weasley looked at her son-in-law imploringly and Harry took Lily back into his arms. The newborn instantly quieted.

"Why did she cough?" James asked as he inspected his baby sister.

"Crying hurts her lungs and coughing is her lung's reaction to the pain," Ron explained.

"Anyone else want to hold her?" Harry offered.

James shook his head, as did Ron. They were both worried about upsetting Lily further.

"I want to hold her," Teddy said, holding out his arms.

Harry placed Lily in his godson's arms, careful to help Teddy hold up Lily's head. Rather than crying, Lily snuggled into Teddy's arms with a small sigh. Teddy grinned.

"Already has you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?" Harry laughed.

"What's her full name?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Lily after my mother," Harry explained, watching Teddy lightly bounce Lily as she wrapped a small fist around one of his fingers, "and Nymphadora after Tonks."

"You named her after my mum?" Teddy asked, shocked.

Harry nodded. "I hope you don't mind, Teddy, but your mum was... Merlin, she was amazing and one of the best people we've ever known. She was a brilliant witch, clever and funny, and honestly, we, Ginny and Ron and Hermione and me probably wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her."

Teddy didn't say anything. He continued to stare at the child in his arms, amazed at the strength of Lily's hand around his finger. For someone so frail and sickly, she wasn't going to give up anytime soon. Teddy wondered for a moment what it would be like if the worst happened and Lily didn't make it out of the woods. She had a long fight ahead.

* * *

Present Day...

"How is she?" Ginny asked, nearly collapsing into Harry's arms. "Have they said if she lost the baby?"

"They're still running tests. Victoire's in there now, so she's in good hands. I'm sure as soon as she can, Victoire will be out here to give us a status report," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, struggling to hold back her tears. She looked past Harry, peering further into the waiting room, and spotted Teddy hunched over in a chair in the far corner. "How's Teddy doing?"

Harry turned around, continuing to hold Ginny by the arm. "Not well. I've never seen him like this. I have no idea what's going on inside his head."

"You should talk to him."

"I wouldn't know what to say," Harry admitted. "It's difficult to comfort someone you view as your own child when your actual child is hurting."

Teddy suddenly stood and rushed out of the waiting room, roughly brushing past Harry and Ginny.

"I think he heard you," Ginny said.

Annoyed with himself- how could he ever say such a thing about Teddy? Of course the young man was his son, even if Teddy had a father- Harry quickly followed his godson out of the room, and found him two floors below in the waiting room for the mental health ward. It was difficult to believe that the turquoise haired man crouched on a plastic chair was twenty-six when at the moment he looked to Harry like a frail, helpless child.

Teddy?" Harry asked, gently tugging on the young man's arm. Teddy didn't respond. Harry tried again. "Teddy, talk to me."

"What am I supposed to do?" Teddy said piteously. "I find out, less than a week ago, that I got my girlfriend pregnant, my girlfriend who's still in school, and now she's lying in a hospital bed losing our child and losing her life. I can't protect them and I've failed them."

Harry bit his lip, unsure of what to say. The silence did not go unnoticed by his godson.

"Why am I even talking to you? You're not my father. That's your daughter in that hospital room, your grandchild. I'm just the spare," Teddy laughed bittterly.

Harry sprang out of his seat, grabbing Teddy roughly by the shoulders and forcing him to look into his eyes. "Don't ever say that. Don't ever think that." Harry spoke in a low, forceful tone, emphasizing every word.

"Why not?" Teddy asked. "You have James, Albus, Lily. You have Ginny and the Weasleys. Hell, you had blood relatives growing up, even if they were pricks. But who do I have? I have Lily and the baby and I might not even have them for much longer."

Teddy's eyes traveled to the floor as tears threatened to spill. He couldn't think straight. He felt helpless. Most of all, he felt alone.

"Teddy." Harry pulled his godson's chin up, boring into the young man's watery eyes. "I was alone for ten years. Yes, I share certain genetic links with the Dursleys, but biology isn't everything. I never had friends until I met Ron and Hermione, let alone people who cared about me. That's why I took it upon myself to make sure you never endured that. Yes, taking you in was partly because your father asked me to be your godfather. Yes, Andromeda and I agreed that I was better suited to raise you because she was too old and I was surrounded by people like Ginny and Mrs. Weasley who could help me take care of you. But those are just logistics. I raised you as my own son, no disrespect to Remus, because I love you."

The twenty-six-year-old didn't respond for some time. Teddy was slightly amazed at Harry's patience while he struggled with his emotions. He was conflicted. He still felt alone, he still felt fear and depression and confusion. The situation with his godfather had always confused him. Teddy was more than just an honoray Potter. Harry had raised him, loved him. But Harry had never trampled his father's memory.

"You never would let me call you 'dad'," Teddy said.

Harry grinned. "That would have been like calling Sirius or Arthur 'dad'. Close, but they're not him." Harry released one of Teddy's shoulders, fumbling in his pants pocket. Seconds later, Harry triumphantly produced a small, round stone.

Teddy's eyes grew wide. "But you dropped it in the forest the night of the battle."

"I went back and retrieved it the next morning," Harry explained, pressing the Resurrection Stone into Teddy's hand. "I'd had the opportunity to meet my parents. It's only right that you meet your's. I had to keep it for you and give it to you when you were ready. It's a dangerous object, infectious even, but you need fatherly advice that I simply can't give."

"Are you sure about this?" Teddy asked examining the stone in his hand.

"You need Remus. Find an abandon room, there's bound to be one around here somewhere. I'll track you down if the Healers have any information about Lily," Harry said.

Teddy nodded and left his godfather, letting his feet take him down the corridor. He paused before several doors before finding an empty room on the second floor. With an anticipatory breath, Teddy sank onto the unmade bed. He rubbed the stone between his fingers, unsure if it would work and unsure if seeing his father really was the best course of action. Eventually, his heart won out. "I really need you," Teddy whispered.

The room was silent, sterile. Teddy held his breath, never taking his eyes from the stone in his hand. Then a slight breeze ruffled his hair and Teddy no longer felt alone.

"Teddy?" a masculine voice whispered.

Slowly, Teddy lifted his eyes travelling up the legs and torso of the one person he always wanted to meet and finally looking into the eyes of his father. "Dad," Teddy breathed. And he burst into tears.

Remus stretched out a hand, cupping Teddy's cheek and wiping away a stream of tears from his son's pale face. Teddy started. "You... you're corporeal?"

Remus nodded. "It's all part of the magic."

Teddy choked back another sob and threw himself into his father's arms. If Remus had been alive, Teddy believed he would have squeezed him to death. Remus tightly hugged his son back.

It was several minutes before father and son broke the hug. Remus held Teddy at arms' length and inspected him, taking in the turquoirse hair, brown eyes, strong jaw, and lanky torso. It was difficult to tell at birth who Teddy would favor, his mother or his father, other than the obvious Metamorphmagus traits. Now, however, Remus could clearly see himself in his young son.

"You're all grown up," Remus remarked.

Teddy smiled sadly. "Wish you had been there."

"I was. Your mom, too. We're always with you," Remus said. He settled into the vacant chair beside the empty bed; Teddy returned to his position on the bed itself. "Harry seems to have raised you alright."

"Yeah, he's been great. He's forever telling me stories about you and his dad, or you and mom. And he's got all these pictures of you in school, and a few of you and mom that he's given me to keep. He credits you with his parenting skills. He says you were like a surrogate father to him and he learned how to be a dad from you," Teddy said.

"I guess I have left quite a legacy. I've never thought of it like that," Remus admitted. He stared hard into his son's face. "I'm assuming you didn't ask me here to regail me with stories of how awesome of a guardian Harry is?"

Teddy shook his head. "I'm in trouble, Dad, and I don't know what to do."

"What kind of trouble?"

"It's a long story," Teddy said. He exhaled slowly. "Lily's in the hospital, probably dying, the baby too and I don't know what to do."

Remus shifted in his seat. "Hold up, go back. Who's Lily, why is she dying, and what about a baby?"

Teddy grinned. "Pity you missed my teenage years. Harry had to give me 'the talk' so this might be kind of awkward."

Remus groaned mockingly. "Teddy, I'm a grown man, I have a son, I already know about-"

Teddy laughed, the first time he'd truly laughed since Lily had been admitted to intensive care. His laughter was infectious, spreading to Remus. They both relished in the father/son bonding moment, not for the first time wondering what they had missed in the intermittent years.

"So," Remus began as the laughter finally died down, "who's Lily?"

"My girlfriend, and Harry's daughter."

Remus nearly jumped out of his seat. "Harry's daughter? For some reason, I don't think I should be all that surprised."

"It gets better. She's seventeen and still at Hogwarts."

"Teddy!" Remus admonished his son. "I'm sure Harry raised you better than that."

"He did, but Lily is... she's..." Teddy struggled to find the words. He looked to Remus for support. Remus smiled. "Can't find the words? That's how I feel about your mom."

Teddy smiled as he remembered a photo Harry had given him of his parents' wedding day, the only photo known to be in existence. They looked so happy then, so ignorant of what was to come.

"Anyway, Lily's pregnant and this morning we were in the Department of Mysteries looking for a prophecy about the Pure Bloods. They're a new Dark Wizard threat," Teddy explained having recognized the curious look on Remus' face. "They're nasty and apparently targeting pregnant women. But Lily touched this prophecy and I dunno, I guess maybe it poisoned her somehow, and now her life and the baby's life are in danger."

"Oh, Teddy," Remus breathed, taking his son's hand.

"I can't lose them, Dad," Teddy whispered as the tears returned. "I've lost so much already, I can't lose them too."

"I know," Remus said. He sighed. "I'm not good at fatherly advice, though I'm sure Harry would say otherwise. But I do know that no matter what happens you have to be strong for your family. Has Harry told you about what happened when I found out Tonks was pregnant with you?"

Teddy shook his head. He gazed at his father imploringly, waiting for the story.

"I was scared. I was so scared that I'd passed my curse on to you, that I'd infected an innocent child. But more than that, I didn't think I was father material and I was so afraid I would fail you."

"What?" Teddy asked aghast. "You gave your life for me. You're my hero."

Now tears were running down Remus' cheeks. "Harry convinced me that I was being an idiot. He was right. So I went back to you and your mother and the day you were born, Merlin, that was the best day of my life. But I wouldn't have been there if I gave into my weakness. You can't give in either. I know you're scared but I also know fate would not have put you in this position if you couldn't handle it."

"So that's why the hat put me in Gryffindor," Teddy laughed lightly.

Remus grinned. "That's my boy. You are stronger than you know. I know the future is uncertain, it always is, but as long as you have faith, as long as you don't succumb to your fear, you will be able to get through this and you can take care of Lily and your child."

Teddy sniffed. "I should probably get back to Lily, huh?"

"Yeah, you should." Remus bit his lip and smoothed his graying hair. "I hate for this to end, but the dead don't belong in this world."

The two men stood and embraced again, Teddy slowly registering his father's advice, Remus resigning himself to the fact that not only had he missed out on his son's life but he would miss out on watching his grandchild grow up as well.

"You know, if it's a boy, we're naming him after you and Harry," Teddy murmured into his father's shoulder.

"Really?" Remus asked as they pulled apart.

Teddy nodded. "I just wanted you to know before you go back. If it's a girl her name will be Dora Ginevra Lupin. If it's a boy it will be Remus Harry Lupin."


End file.
